Climate-Smart Agriculture Offers Agency and Resilience in Rural Liberia
By Gmasonah Togba Aboah, Land Tenure Specialist
Everlyne Nairesiae (left) speaking before the CSA training for Diagmah Clan
Year after year, following the cassava harvest, Beatrice Sumo would cut down the remaining stalks and burn her field to clear it for the next planting season.
This agricultural method—sometimes known as “slash-and-burn”—is prevalent where Beatrice lives in rural Bong County, Liberia. It is also common for farmers to use synthetic fertilizers and cut down trees to clear land and produce charcoal. As climate change degrades their land, it has become increasingly difficult for members of Beatrice’s community to produce enough food to last through the year. Farmers are stuck in a vicious cycle: the agricultural methods they rely on to survive are the very ones that destroy soil fertility and reduce climate mitigation potential.
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