Solar-powered Mobile Farms Enable Farmers to Enhance Sustainable Agriculture Production and Productivity in Liberia

Monrovia – Limited irrigation infrastructure and a lack of cold storage facilities are some of the major constraints that hinder efficient and sustainable agricultural production as well as post-harvest handling.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Elite Agro Holding, a United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based private company, have delivered mobile farm units to two beneficiary groups in Cinta, Margibi County, and Zuluyee, Nimba County, respectively. These mobile farm units, equipped with solar-powered irrigation technology and cooling storage, will significantly enhance the efficiency of agricultural production and post-harvest preservation.

The installation of the mobile farm units signifies a pivotal step in implementing the UAE-funded Project titled "Promoting Increased Resilience and Sustainable Income Generation, Food Security, and Nutrition for Rural Women."

Elite Agro Holding, represented by Mr. Mohammed Al Khawar, the Regional Manager/Head of International Projects, and Dr. John Daniel, Head of Technical Operations, formally handed over the two farm units to FAO Liberia, the Ministry of Agriculture, and God’s Favor Farmers in Cinta, as well as the Per-Ta-Luo Farmer Group in Zuluyee, on September 29, 2023.

Mobile Farm Design and Technology
Divided into two compartments, one half of the mobile farm unit contains a cool storage unit capable of storing approximately 1.0 metric tons of fresh vegetables. The other compartment houses several lithium batteries powered by solar energy capable of irrigating approximately 2.5 hectares of farm plots.

The introduction of mobile farm units guarantees year-round production of assorted vegetables facilitated by advanced irrigation technology, simultaneously relieving predominantly female farmers from the daily task of manually irrigating their fields. Additionally, the cool storage component effectively tackles post-harvest spoilage concerns by preserving freshly harvested vegetables before marketing.

In the coming months, two additional mobile farms will be delivered to Say No to Hunger Farmers Cooperative in Wlenla (Nimba County) and Mayor River Women Initiative in Foya (Lofa County) respectively. To ensure the effective adoption of the technology, Elite Agro, in collaboration with FAO, is providing technical support including training and follow-up technical backstopping.

About the Project
The Project “Promoting Increased Resilience and Sustainable Income Generation, Food Security, and Nutrition for Rural Women” (2019 – 2023), implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture in Liberia with financial support from the UAE, aims to promote rural women’s economic empowerment and enhance their resilience to shocks. Through interventions in four value chains - vegetables, lowland rice, poultry, and inland fish farming, FAO has been providing technical support to promote sustainable and efficient practices to grow high-value vegetables, intensive production of poultry products (eggs and meat), and lowland rice integrated with inland fish farming. The project supports approximately 2,000 farmers from 24 farmer groups in six counties - Bong, Nimba, Lofa, Gbarpolu, Montserrado, and Margibi Counties.

Links

FAO and Private Sector Engagement: CONNECT PORTAL