SIERRA LEONE

1. University of Makeni (UNIMAK)

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Focus on:

• Agri-livestock integrated management

• Constructive land transformation and water management

• Avoidance of deforestation

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UNIMAK operates in multiple FFRUs spread around the country

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A series of Surveys has been deployed to Sierra Leone ​farmers to trace a general characterization of the farming systems in the project study areas and to draw a general overview of the current level of adoption of sustainable soil management practices.

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Livestock feeding is an essential component for the completion of the human food chain. Considering the lack of sufficient feed resources available for this productive sector, it is fundamental to redesign and carry out within the FFRUs an integrated research of both livestock and agricultural productions embedding of suggestions coming from traditional knowledge (harvesting of cereals and grazing). For these reasons, a series of surveys has been conducted in the FFRUs to investigate if a new “Integrated Agricultural Approach” could be possible within the SI framework.

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INTEGRATED LIVESTOCK APPROACH

 

During 2021, UNIMAK organized three events on the roles and responsibilities of the field in the context of integrated agricultural and livestock approach in the farming system.

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Sierra Leone was selected for the research project and for the the layout of the land for the cultivation of crops. Indeed, integrated livestock approach is fundamental to farm activities in Sierra Leone like transportation, tillage, the use of manure for cropping land amendments, the use of crops, residues for animal feeding, and many other activities.

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From 2020 to now, the results show:

1. some reduced movement of the framers from one land to another for the cultivation of crops,

2. an estimated increase in the production of vegetables.

3. an increase in the number of livestock of the farmer and of farming land space to accommodate and carry out both crop and animal production on the same piece of land

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