MONROVIA, April 18 (LINA) – The German Ambassador to Liberia, Jakob Haselhuber, has called on the government, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and other partners to collaborate towards an effective policy reforms on agriculture and investment programs that will boost food security in Liberia.
For Ambassador Haselhuber, this will help boost responsible agricultural investment that will help benefit the people, planet and prosperity, adding that Germany has supported FAO to enhance a responsible agriculture and investment program in Liberia.
The German envoy emphasized that it is critical to stimulate investments that will effectively contribute to the eradication of poverty and hunger by creating decent jobs and conserving the environment.
Stimulating such responsible agricultural investment, diplomat Haselhuber noted, requires strong institutional, legal, regulatory and incentive frameworks, and collaboration of all actors involved.
The German Ambassador made the comments at the close of the week on the start of FAO’s High-Level Strategy Engagement Meeting on Boosting responsible investment in agriculture and food system in Liberia for sustainable development.
The meeting was held at the Farmington Hotel in Margibi County.
“I am glad that this support has resulted in practical and actionable policy proposals, such as the revision of investment and investors screening policy which are both critical to maximize opportunities and to minimize risk of investment,” he added.
Amb. Haselhuber stated that for Liberia to be able to achieve such a beneficial program, it requires a strong collaboration of all actors that are involved in the sector, adding that Germany has been an import partner to FAO, supporting the application of the committee on “the very food security principles, forest investment, and agriculture and food system in Liberia and beyond.”
Ambassador Haselhuber further noted that enhancing agriculture and food productions is undoubtedly critical, especially in tackling issues that have become almost endemic in the fight against global stunting or hunger in local communities, stating that tightening regulations on food production will not only reduce stunting but also widen the scope of operation of the sector.
He stated that in Liberia, the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s unwarranted war against Ukraine have led to a further increase in the prevalence of poverty and hunger – estimating 47.6% for poverty and 38.3% for hunger, respectively.
Commenting further, the German diplomat said: “We also learned yesterday that the children 0-5 years still suffer from stunting and wasting and the child mortality is still too high. Even if these figures have come down, thanks to common efforts by the government, partners, NGOs for the people of Liberia.”
He, however, mentioned that still 29.8% of children suffer from stunting and 3.4% from wasting, adding, “I refer to children 0-5 years of age. That is a crucial age for the development of a child and of a future citizen.”
According to envoy Haselhuber, in 2015, FAO, IFAD, and WFP estimated an additional 140 billion United States dollars investment in agriculture and food systems are needed to achieve SDGs 1 and 2 by 2030.
Increasing responsible investment in agriculture and food systems is among the most efficient strategies to fight against poverty and hunger in Liberia, he said.
In 2015, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Program (WFP) estimated that Liberia needed an additional annual US$1.5 billion investment in agriculture and rural development to achieve the first two SDGs by 2030.
Against the backdrop of a global economy, which has been fragile by recent sanitary, geopolitical and socio-economic crises, actual figures are likely to be much higher today.
FAO has supported inclusive and demand-driven processes to enhance policies and institutions for responsible investment in agriculture and food systems in Liberia since 2019, with support of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Flexible Voluntary Contribution (FVC).
K. Ericson Sayee
