Resource information
The overall objective of the
Comprehensive Assessment of the Agricultural Sector (CAAS)
is to provide an evidence base to enable appropriate
strategic policy responses by the Government of Liberia
(GoL) and its development partners in order to maximize the
contribution of the agriculture sector to the
Government's overarching policy objectives. Given the
strong relationship between growth in agricultural
productivity and poverty reduction, future efforts in
Liberia need to focus on productivity enhancing measures
with a pro-poor focus that increase incomes. Growth based on
extensification using traditional technologies is generally
not profitable and has damaging implications for the
environment. Given the low level of assets possessed by most
Liberians, future efforts need to address the question of
access to assets (i.e. land, knowledge and inputs) in
addition to providing opportunities and an enabling
environment. Liberia needs to make concerted efforts to
preserve and consolidate its emerging stability by focusing
on interventions to ensure food security and poverty
alleviation at the community and household levels. Improving
access to food and generating sustainable, remunerative
activities and employment are crucial to this process. This
report is designed to assist in indicating and specifying
the potential role of specified agricultural commodity value
chains in achieving the priority objectives of the
government by focusing on small holders, traditional
farming, and food security and forms an input for the
preparation of a strategic orientation framework to achieve
sustainable food security, nutrition and agricultural
development. This report reviews gender issues in
Liberia's agriculture and rural sector with a special
focus on rural women and how to improve their participation
and contribution to rural development. The report reviews
women's roles in agriculture and the rural economy;
their access to key inputs and services which are essential
to carry out their socio-economic role in rural areas; as
well as gender-related social trends and problems that may
have an impact on productivity and poverty reduction in
rural areas. The assessment also reviews the institutional
and policy framework for agriculture and rural development
and identifies opportunities to improve the rural
sector's capacity to address gender issues and support
female farmers and rural entrepreneurs. The findings and
recommendations will inform the reform of the sector,
currently underway, and thereby support the GoL poverty
reduction effort and the implementation of the Interim
Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (IPRSP).
