B.- Etapas de la licitación pública
2.2.3 La Ejecución Contractual
Agriculture remains the backbone of the Sierra Leone economy. It contributes 40 to 50% of GDP, about 10% of exports, and provides employment to approximately two-thirds of the population. Whilst agricultural growth has significant poverty reduction effects, the sector is characterised largely by smallholders, practising mainly subsistence agriculture. In recent years, efforts have been made to introduce mechanised farming practices, through provision of tractors, power tillers and other agricultural tools to farming communities. Over 400 Agricultural Business Centres (ABCs) have been established under the Smallholder Commercialisation Programme and provided with appropriate support to enhance agricultural productivity and promote value addition.
Domestic production of food crops, especially rice, the staple food, has increased in recent years, but the proportion of rice imports as a percentage of total rice consumption remains high. The production of cassava and other food products, including sweet potato, poultry, small ruminants and cattle, also increased during the AfC period; the production of traditional export crops such as cocoa and coffee also increased (by 217% and 60% respectively). Cocoa and coffee exports increased between 2007 and 2011 by 105% and 220% respectively. Despite this growth, agricultural exports remain low and undiversified. Access to market and to credit are severe constraints: to ease them 907 kilometres of feeder roads have been rehabilitated, linking 96 ABCs to production and market centres; 3,071 hectares of inland valley swamps have been rehabilitated to facilitate multi-cropping farming practices; while with support from IFAD, over 50 Financial Services Associations (FSAs) have been established in rural areas to increase farmers’ access to credit.
Since 2007, there has been a significant increase in private investment in the agricultural sector, with large investments in oil palm, sugar cane, rubber and fruits. Many of these investments will become operational during 2013-18. They are expected to improve overall output, and in most cases will provide out-grower schemes for local farmers.
3.1.1.1 Sector Challenges
The key challenges facing the sector include inadequate rural financial services, limited large scale irrigation facilities, weak rural infrastructure, weak extension services, heavy reliance on rain fed agriculture, weak capacity in research and statistics and low value addition. These challenges have resulted in the following:
Lack of Food Self Sufficiency Low Value added
Below potential cash-crop production Weak Institutions with Low capacity
Lack of efficient financing, coordination, and information
The overall goal for this sector during the Agenda for Prosperity is to have a sustainable, diversified, and commercial agricultural sector, which ensures food self-sufficiency, increase exports and create jobs opportunities for Sierra Leonean men and women. Transformative interventions will be anchored by agricultural extension and smallholder development, introducing productivity and enhancing food and cash crop technologies to increase yields and improve household incomes
32
3.1.1.2 Agriculture Sector Strategic Objectives and Priority Activities
To date there has been less focus on improving land, woodland and water management in both upland and low land areas through supporting sustainable productive increases which can restore natural capital through increasing vegetation and tree cover, restoring soil fertility and reducing erosion, and restoring rainfed agriculture’s resilience to weather events. These approaches will be promoted as they help maintain the natural soil fertility that underlines the longer term productivity and food security. Therefore the agricultural sector strategy and objectives are summarised as follows:
To increase the production of staple food crops for food security:
Increase farmers’ access to agricultural inputs – fully operationalize the ABCs, including construction and providing equipment; continue to provide extension services to farm households, providing them with improved chemicals, seeds, and tools.
Improve farmers’ use of technology – increase the activities of research and extension services, with plans that focus on use of technology.
Undertake land and water development programmes – rehabilitate inland valley swamps, and develop irrigated rice nucleus farms, which will be linked to out-grower schemes. Improve the skills and organisation of farmers – roll out schemes for training on improved
farming techniques, through Farmer Field Schools, and provide production support to new and existing Farmer-Based Organisations.
Encourage agricultural input markets to be led by the private sector – roll out the ‘agro- dealers’ support programme.
Improve animal health care to facilitate livestock production – establish District Livestock Clinics, provide training for middle-level personnel and Community Animal Health Workers, and provide support to cross-breeding and feed mill initiatives through ABCs. Construct new feeder roads and rehabilitate existing feeder roads to facilitate the bringing
of agricultural production to markets.
Operationalize a strategic grain reserve to ensure that food reserves are available in times of urgent need.
To promote and increase value-adding activities for agricultural goods:
Increase availability of processing facilities – provide agro-processing facilities at ABCs. Establish hubs of value-adding activities – promote value-adding activities for agricultural
goods through the framework of SEZs, industrial Growth Centres and ‘Growth Poles’ (see Pillar 4 for more details).
To increase the production and export of cash-crops:
Facilitate better organisation of farmers: provide support towards the establishment and operationalization ofsmallholder cash-crop farmer cooperatives.
Rehabilitate existing plantations and facilitate the establishment of new plantations for cash-crop production by ensuring land lease agreement providing investment incentives. Improve the institutional setup for export standards: build the capacity of the Standards
Bureau to effectively monitor the quality of cash-crop exports.
Continue to increase regional and international integration: continue to participate in regional and international initiatives, including certification schemes and roundtables.
Improve access to Finance for Farmers:
Increase access to finance for agricultural workers and firms: build the capacity of financial institutions, including FSAs and Community Banks, to support small to medium scale investments in the agriculture sector, to lend to farmers of all sizes.
33
Provide support to the Agricultural Investment Task Force to coordinate agricultural investment and community impact, including the dissemination and enforcement of relevant guidelines as well as interacting regularly with the private sector to discuss challenges. Strengthen the capacity of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security in the collection analysis of quality of Agricultural statistics