SIERRA LEONE maq 4ª.indd - agrilife - Europa

3 The Agricultural Sector
In this section, the contributions of the
agricultural sector to the economy (3.1) and its
key characteristics in terms of agro-ecological
zones and farming systems (3.2) are addressed.
Likewise, the technical and institutional aspects
of farm households in Sierra Leone are brought
forward (3.3). A review of domestic policies
related to agriculture in the post-conflict era is
presented along with an examination of food
security issues (3.4). To conclude sectorial
challenges are analysed (3.5).
3.1 Agriculture in the Economy
During the 1991-2002 conflict, the
agricultural sector was severely affected. On one
hand, agricultural roads were abandoned for
long periods of time and rendered impassable.
On the other hand, farms were devastated
and fleeing farmers lost many of their assets,
Figure 5. Agricultural Production Index per capita. Sierra Leone 1985 - 2009
including production inputs and capital (such as
seeds, planting materials, tools, and machinery,
livestock and work oxen). To illustrate the
impact of the war it is interesting to note that
in 1991, 70% of the population was devoted
to agricultural production; however, by the end
of war in 2002, the significant displacement
of the rural population resulted in an estimated
farming population of 51%. Figure 5 portrays
the consequent decline in national agricultural
production during this time period.
According to MAFFS (2001) the country
has a total of 5,365,000 ha of arable land,
which represents 74.1% of the total area of the
country. Jalloh (2006) argues that between 10
and 12 percent of potentially arable land is being
cultivated and that there would be enough land to
accommodate expansion in farming to increase
food production. However, if one takes into
consideration that in Sierra Leone the dominant
Note: The FAO indices of agricultural production show the relative level of the aggregate volume of agricultural production for each
year in comparison with the base period 1999-2001. They are based on the sum of price-weighted quantities of different agricultural
commodities produced after deductions of quantities used as seed and feed weighted in a similar manner. The resulting aggregate
represents, therefore, disposable production for any use except as seed and feed.
Source: FAOSTAT (2010)
Rural poverty reduction and food security: The case of smallholders in Sierra Leone
31