Wednesday August 28, U.S. senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Deborah Malac, U.S. Ambassador to Liberia, visited a host of farmers in Liberia who are a part of The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Food and Enterprise Development Program.

The New Generational Women farm site, located in Montserrado county, outside of Monrovia was created to assist local farmers with cultivation and sales skills that will afford them a better livelihood, according to a USAIDpress release. The 30-member farmer team showcased their new-found understanding and implementation of agriculture and business.

“A key goal of USAID’s assistance program is to improve the skills of Liberian farmers, which will reduce Liberia’s heavy reliance on food imports, increase rural incomes and development, and expand Liberian families’ access to nutritious fresh food,” Ambassador Malac said.

Towards the ending of the civil war, the Liberian Agency for Economic Development Empowerment (AEDE) and landowners worked to acquire the New Generational Women farm site’s 75 acres of land for farming and business purposes.

Growing Cassava and vegetables, the press release noted that the farmers along with Chevron will come together and register the agribusiness project as a corporation.

“As a result of past conflicts, this community has lost a wide variety of agricultural skills and knowledge. The hard work of these farmers proves that the use of improved techniques and technology will assist the Liberian people to create prosperous livelihoods in the agricultural sector,” the Program’s Deputy Chief of Party, Boima Bafaie said.

According to USAID’s release — with an aim to reduce hunger and to promote food security — the program has helped farmers utilize a larger variety of seeds, pick up improved cassava cutting techniques as well as hone water management and irrigation practices.

Six counties across Liberia are benefiting from USAID’s productivity and profitability farming guidance program.