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Agriculture in Sierra Leone is a significant part of the
economy of Sierra Leone with it accounting for 58 percent national
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2007.
[1] Two-thirds of the population of
Sierra Leone are involved in
subsistence agriculture.
[2] The agricultural sector grew by about 14 percent in 2007, led by crops, and five percent in 2008.
[1] Despite this growth the country is a net importer of food,
[1] for example in 2004 19,000
t of rice was imported.
[3]
[edit] Economics
Agriculture accounts for more than half Sierra Leone's
GDP, 58.5 percent in 2007.
[1] It is the largest employer with 80 percent of the population working in the sector
[4] and two thirds of the population involved in
subsistence agriculture.
[2] In 2007 the sector grew by 14 percent, led by crops and by five percent in 2008.
[1] Despite this the country is not
self sufficient in food which is one of the country's biggest imports.
[1] Agricultural exports in 2006 accounted for 4 percent of total exports worth more than six million
US dollars with
coca being the biggest export accounting for more than 5 million US dollars of this.
[4]
Rice is the second most important staple crop in Sierra Leone with 85 percent of farmers cultivating rice during the rainy season
[5] and an annual consumption of 76 kg per person.
[3] In 2004 an area of 2,100 km
2 (810 sq mi) was cultivated for rice producing an annual yield of 265,000
t.
[3] Rice is grown in three different ecologies,
Mangrove swamp rice,
upland rice and
deepwater rice. With around 200 km
2 (77 sq mi) of land in deepwater rice cultivation Sierra Leone is the main area for
tropical deepwater rice.
[5]
The second staple food grown across the country is
cassava with an annual yield of 350,000t in 2006.
[6] The main areas of production are in the south-west, central and far north.
[6] The main problems with
cassava cultivation include disease and pests. Major diseases are the
cassava mosaic disease and
cassava bacterial blight, which have the greatest economic impact,
cassava brown leaf spot,
cassava anthracnose, and
white thread fungus.
[7]
Other major annual
food crops include
Sorghum,
Maize,
Millet,
Sweet potato and Groundnut.
[8]
The main tree crop is the
oil palm used for its
perennial fruit, that can be processed into
palm oil and sap which is turned into
Palm wine. The other main perennial crops are
citrus,
sugarcane,
cocoa,
coffee, and
coconut.
[9]
[edit] Livestock
| Numbers of livestock |
|---|
| Livestock | 1984[10] | 2002[11] | 2005[11] |
|---|
|
| Cattle | 333,181 | 100,000 | 200,000 |
| Sheep | 264,000 | 200,000 | 375,000 |
| Goats | 145,000 | 250,000 | 450,000 |
| Pigs |
| 20,000 | 35,000 |
| Chicken |
| 4,000,000 | 5,200,00 |
| Domestic Ducks |
| 300,000 | 500,000 |
| Domestic Rabbits |
| 5,000 | 7,000 |
|
|
Common livestock in Sierra Leone are
cattle,
sheep,
goats,
pigs and
poultry.
[10] The
civil war seriously depleted the level of livestock in the country, although numbers have recovered since the end of the war in 2002. Most cattle are of the
typanotolerant N'Dama breed and problem diseases include
rinderpest and
contagious bovine pleuropneumonia.
[10] Cattle are found in the north of the country and farming is dominated by the
Fula ethnic group who own the majority of cattle in the country and often manage cattle owned by other groups.
[11] Poultry farming consists mainly of
chickens, with some
guinea fowl and
Muscovy Ducks.
[11]
Sheep are found across the whole of the country and are of the dwarf
Djallonke breed.
[11] Goats are of the
West African Dwarf breed. They are found all over the country but 60 percent live in the
Northern Province. The breeds of sheep and goats are hardy, able to survive the rigorous environment and are resistant to the
trypanosomiasis disease. The West African Dwarf goats can survive on grazing alone all year, even in the dry season, without the need for additional feed.
[12] Diseases that effect the sheep and goats include
foot rot, internal
parasites and
heartwater.
[13]
[edit] Governance
Agricultural development is a priority for the
Government of Sierra Leone and falls under the remit of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security. On the 22nd September 2009 Sierra Leone signed the
Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) compact, agreeing to raise the percentage of the budget spent and agriculture to 10 percent. In 2007 the percentage of the budget spent on agriculture was 1.7 percent but this had increased to 9.9 percent in 2010.
[14][15]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f African Development Bank, OECD - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2009). African Economic Outlook 2009: Country Notes: Volumes 1 and 2. OECD Publishing. pp. 561-562. ISBN 9789264076181. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=e91T-0zSWnAC&pg=PT565&dq=mining+gdp+sierra+leone&hl=en&ei=UtVrTeiEGcSGhQfVkJyiDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCwQ6AEwATgU#v=onepage&q=mining%20gdp%20sierra%20leone&f=false.
- ^ a b "Settling for a future in Sierra Leone". New Agriculture. November 2007. http://www.new-ag.info/focus/focusItem.php?a=291. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ^ a b c Rice today, Volume 3:Rice facts. International Rice Research. 2004. p. 48. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=3PZjte6EADYC&pg=PA48&dq=rice+sierra+leone&hl=en&ei=HYBrTZ1nkrCEB6GkmfIO&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CFcQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=rice%20sierra%20leone&f=false.
- ^ a b König, Dirk (2008). Linking Agriculture to Tourism in Sierra Leone - a Preliminary Research. GRIN Verlag. p. 67. ISBN 9783638946803. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ChOkCqPu_QMC&pg=PA65&dq=agriculture+economy+sierra+leone&hl=en&ei=etVsTfvENY2YhQe-uP2ODA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=agriculture%20economy%20sierra%20leone&f=false.
- ^ a b Catling, David (1992). Rice in deep water. Int. Rice Res. Inst.. p. 372. ISBN 9789712200052. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=N5JxwKx1RAgC&pg=PA372&dq=rice+sierra+leone&hl=en&ei=R4ZrTdLwLZGJhQf24PXsDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q=rice%20sierra%20leone&f=false.
- ^ a b Sanni, L.O.; Onadipe, O.O., Ilona, P., Mussagy, M.D., Abass, A., Dixon, A.G.O.. Successes and challenges of cassava enterprises in West Africa: a case study of Nigeria, Benin and Sierra Leone. IITA. p. 3. ISBN 9789781313400. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=3DyJIhE3y54C&pg=PA3&dq=cassava+sierra+leone&hl=en&ei=0JxrTZfiOY2XhQft4p3sDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CD8Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false.
- ^ Hershey, Clair H. (1987). Cassava breeding: a multidisciplinary review : proceedings of a workshop held in the Philippines, 4 - 7 March 1985. Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical, United Nations Development Programme. pp. 267-268. ISBN 9788489206687. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=PVQWguw3DNYC&pg=PA267&dq=cassava+sierra+leone&hl=en&ei=0JxrTZfiOY2XhQft4p3sDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=cassava%20sierra%20leone&f=false.
- ^ Asenso-Okyere, Kwadwo; Sindu Workneh, Edward Rhodes, and John Sutherland. Rebuilding after Emergency: Revamping Agricultural Research in Sierra Leone after Civil War. p. 5. ISBN Intl Food Policy Res Inst. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=sXHjVT-ZKCQC&pg=PA11&dq=livestock+sierra+leone&hl=en&ei=qa5rTfalMMqXhQed3NzsDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=livestock%20sierra%20leone&f=false.
- ^ Asenso-Okyere, Kwadwo; Sindu Workneh, Edward Rhodes, and John Sutherland. Rebuilding after Emergency: Revamping Agricultural Research in Sierra Leone after Civil War. p. 7. ISBN Intl Food Policy Res Inst. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=sXHjVT-ZKCQC&pg=PA11&dq=livestock+sierra+leone&hl=en&ei=qa5rTfalMMqXhQed3NzsDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=livestock%20sierra%20leone&f=false.
- ^ a b c Hoste, C. H. (1992). Trypanotolerant livestock in west and central Africa:A decade's results. International Livestock Centre for Africa (aka ILCA and ILRAD). pp. 69-70. ISBN 9789290532613. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=uNrIlXSFSp8C&pg=PA69&dq=livestock+sierra+leone&hl=en&ei=qa5rTfalMMqXhQed3NzsDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=livestock%20sierra%20leone&f=false.
- ^ a b c d e Asenso-Okyere, Kwadwo; Sindu Workneh, Edward Rhodes, and John Sutherland. Rebuilding after Emergency: Revamping Agricultural Research in Sierra Leone after Civil War. pp. 11-12. ISBN Intl Food Policy Res Inst. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=sXHjVT-ZKCQC&pg=PA11&dq=livestock+sierra+leone&hl=en&ei=qa5rTfalMMqXhQed3NzsDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=livestock%20sierra%20leone&f=false.
- ^ Jalloh, Alusine (1999). African entrepreneurship: Muslim Fula merchants in Sierra Leone. Ohio University Press. p. 66. ISBN 9780896802070. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=nIVIi54f51sC&pg=PA66&dq=goats+sierra+leone&hl=en&ei=_vpsTYmvMImChQeIxYyPDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEUQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=goats%20sierra%20leone&f=false.
- ^ Hoste, C. H. (1992). Trypanotolerant livestock in west and central Africa:A decade's results. International Livestock Centre for Africa (aka ILCA and ILRAD). p. 62. ISBN 9789290532613. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=uNrIlXSFSp8C&pg=PA69&dq=livestock+sierra+leone&hl=en&ei=qa5rTfalMMqXhQed3NzsDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=livestock%20sierra%20leone&f=false.
- ^ Fofanah, Mohamed (13 August 2010). "Sierra Leone: New Agriculture Plan Sprouts". allAfrica.com. http://allafrica.com/stories/201008130005.html. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- ^ Samba, Augustine (22 September 2009). "Sierra Leone Signs CAADP Document". Awareness Times Newspaper. http://www.news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_200513083.shtml. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
[edit] External links
Economy of Sierra Leone
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