Sierra Leone

MDG Goal 1 - Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger

 
 

Goal	Relevant Target
Goal 1:  Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger	Target 1: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day
	Target 2: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.

Poverty and Hunger. MDG 1, which deals with the eradication of both poverty and hunger, is by far the most difficult of all goals for Sierra Leone to attain. It is the mother of all goals. It affects and is affected by all other MDGs and beyond. Key factors affecting MDG 1 include issues of growth, equity, education, health, good governance (economic and political), infrastructure, technology, environment, capacity development, etc. All these factors are interrelated and have impacted negatively on the attainment of this goal during the past few decades.

Annual economic growth averaged about 4 per cent and 3.5 percent in the 1960s and 1970s, respectively, but declined sharply to an average of 1.5 percent in the 1980s, mainly because of misguided economic policies, indiscipline in the public sector, mismanagement and several other problems. The armed conflict, which started in 1991, plunged the economy into further decline with an average fall in output of 4.5 percent annually between 1990 and 2000. Thus between 1990 and 2000, growth declined by about 36 percent. At the same time savings and, investment rates have been very low, while income distribution has been highly skewed towards the rich.

It should be indicated that there have been some remarkable improvements in economic performance during the post-conflict era. The cessation of hostilities and eventual restoration of security countrywide strengthened confidence, which facilitated economic recovery, mostly spurred by a resumption of activities in the agricultural and mining sectors. Between 2002 and 2005, real GDP growth averaged around 7 per cent per annum. The economy grew between 6 and 9% a year from 2004 to 2006, and is projected to grow at similar rates in the next years.

The above notwithstanding, poverty still remains a very serious problem in Sierra Leone. More robust growth performance is needed to restore per capita income levels to their pre-war levels, let alone to improve them. The World Bank, in its Country Assistance Strategy for Sierra Leone, observed that, given the country’s annual population growth rate of 2.1 per cent, rural per capita incomes have to grow by at least 5.6 percent annually and urban by 4.0 percent annually.

The current economic recovery, since 2000, is perceptible, with an arrest in the growth of the number of people living in extreme poverty. However, the proportion is still high, at 70%, and with the current trend, the MDG target will not be met. Nationwide, the poverty gap index is 29%, showing a high incidence and depth of poverty, and is particularly high in rural areas where it is situated at 34%. Bombali and Kailahun both have poverty gaps above 40% (precisely 50% and 42% respectively), showing a serious disparity between regions. The share of the poorest quintile in national consumption is 1.1%, the worst record for Low Human Development Countries in the 2005 UNDP Human Development Report (HDR).


Poverty Situation

Nutrition. Another target of major concern, related to MDG 1, is the under-five malnourishment rate. From a relatively low level in 1990, this indicator has taken an adverse trend. Of particular concern is the low “exclusive breastfeeding” rate for 0-5 month olds, and the timely complementary feeding rate. These result in an underweight prevalence rate of 31% and a stunting prevalence of 40%.

Extreme Poverty: Hunger Situation

Naturally, the attainment of Goal one depends on progress in a number of sectors, key among which are agriculture, other natural resource sectors (such as mining, forestry, fisheries), infrastructure and industry. The poverty diagnostics undertaken for the SL-PRSP focus on income poverty and food poverty as the key factors for the endemic state of poverty in Sierra Leone.

Background
While recognising the multi-sectoral nature of the factors associated with extreme poverty and hunger, in this section we focus our attention on examining the situation within the agriculture sector. According to the recently concluded Agricultural Sector Policy, economic growth and poverty reduction in Sierra Leone depend on the development of the agriculture sector, because agriculture dominates the national economy. The sector accounts for about 40 to 45% of GDP, and is the primary source of employment for the majority of the population. The crop sub-sector, with rice dominating, contributes about 75% of agricultural GDP. The fisheries sub-sector accounts for 21% and livestock about 4%. The contributions of forestry vary between 9 and 13%. The Agriculture Sector Review (MAFS 2004) noted that the development of the agricultural sector is expected to stimulate that of other sectors due to its linkages with other sectors, both backward (demand for tools and other inputs such as agrochemicals) and forward (supply for agro-based industries as well as agricultural marketing).

Current Efforts and Strategies to Improve Agricultural Production
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) seeks to improve agricultural production and productivity in order to achieve food security, by providing an enabling environment for farmers, and by promoting appropriate research, extension, input delivery and market systems, thereby improving rural incomes, reducing poverty and maintaining the natural environment. To this end, MAFS formulates and implements policies, and coordinates, designs and monitors programmes for the development of the agricultural sector. It works with the following objectives:

• To increase diversified domestic production of food, with a view to achieving food security in the medium to long term;

• To increase agricultural productivity, output, rural incomes and employment, while ensuring adequate protection of the environment;

• To ensure balanced regional agricultural growth and equitable distribution of income; and

• To maximize foreign exchange earnings from the agricultural sector.

One of the problems facing the agricultural sector has been the lack of a coherent, well-articulated Policy Statement. Of late, the MoFS has tried to rectify this situation with an interim Policy Statement which draws on a large number of strategies on various elements of the sector.

In order to boost agricultural production, the (Interim) Agricultural Policy Statement outlines strategies which include the following:

• Provide public goods, such as research, foundation seed, rural infrastructure such as roads, crop and livestock extension packages, and an early warning system;

• Facilitate private sector delivery of services such as seed multiplication and marketing, and rural finance;

• Regulate and enforce standards, for example in crop and livestock grading and certification, quality control of animal drugs and vaccines, and agrochemicals;

• Make and implement policy in areas such as land tenure and natural resource management;

• Build capacity and empowerment in local communities, farmer associations and marketing cooperatives;

• Mobilise external resources, co-ordinate donor activities, and monitor and evaluate the general processes of agricultural development.

There is a formal policy for the Fisheries sector which aims to promote responsible fishing, increase employment opportunities, raise the socio-economic status of those involved in fishing, including women, and increase export earnings.

Growth in the agriculture sector is dependent on the improvement of rural infrastructure, and increasing access to education and health services, which are important elements in addressing rural poverty. They are dependent on improved service provision by other government ministries.

Challenges for the Agriculture Sector
While some progress has been registered in the sector, that has led to improvements in agricultural production, and the food security situation, the sector is still faced with a number of challenges. Challenges include:

• Predominance of small-scale farmers, operating on a semi-subsistence basis, with very low usage of productivity increasing inputs such as improved seeds, pesticides, fertiliser, improved and labour saving farm implements, etc;

• Poor rural infrastructure, particularly roads, marketing, storage and processing facilities;

• Lack of credit facilities and other financial services.
   

The agriculture sector is crucial in addressing issues of food security, poverty reduction, economic growth, increased exports and social development. A careful balance has to be achieved in pursuing these different objectives. However, while, issues of food security seem to be addressed in the current agricultural strategies, the other issues are not. Of particular note is the potential role that the sector can play in the areas of employment creation and export earnings through the promotion of agricultural exports.

In the past such crops as cocoa, coffee, palm kernels, piassava and ginger have made important contributions to the country’s agricultural exports. However, as noted in the Agricultural Sector Review, for a number of reasons, the importance of tree crops to the Sierra Leone economy started declining long before the war, which only exacerbated the situation. A recently concluded DTIS notes that Sierra Leone has the physical resources in terms of cultivable land, water and climate to develop again as an agricultural exporter. Thus one of the challenges the country faces is how to restore and boost its competitiveness in agricultural exports.

Priority Actions
Through a comprehensive agricultural sector review undertaken in 2003, and subsequent reviews made during the preparation of the SL-PRSP and the MDGNA, a number of priority areas have been identified to be addressed within the current and subsequent PRSP. These include:

• Improving the Agriculture Policy Framework and Capacity Building. The interim policy statement should be reviewed and finalised with policies to provide the enabling environment.

• Increasing Food Production. First steps will be the rehabilitation of the infrastructure necessary for the production and distribution of good quality planting material. The focus will be on the use of improved rice cultivars and alternative root crops to fill the hunger gap. In the livestock sector, there is need to develop a broad strategy for the development of the sector. In the short-term the process of rehabilitating laboratories and veterinary clinics, which has already started, should be completed. Abattoirs should also be rehabilitated.

• Fisheries. The fisheries sector needs to boost its Monitoring, Control and Surveillance activities, under the Artisanal Fisheries Development Project for Sierra Leone, to protect its marine fisheries resources, and to bring about increased fish supplies to the domestic and export market, while contributing to poverty reduction.

• Improving rural services. In support of the second priority area, Increasing Food Production, steps must be taken to provide the farmer with effective rural services in extension, research and rural finance. In extension, there will be a move to create a demand-driven semi-autonomous extension system to take over from the current dysfunctional government system. This will build on initiatives such as the present Farmer Field Schools, to involve a number of different stakeholders: the private sector, NGOs and research and training institutes.

• Rural Infrastructure. For roads, this programme will be undertaken by Central and District Roads, Transportation and Works Departments, as part of an expected wider, national intervention to bring the country up to a recognisable international standard of provision. Maintenance of all but the major roads will be the responsibility of district councils, and it is key that suitable funds are made available for this purpose. For other agricultural infrastructure, such as irrigation and drainage works rehabilitation, and handling and storage facilities, it is recommended that these should be implemented through districts, chiefdoms and farmer groups, to be financed mainly by loans, with a significant beneficiary contribution.

• Increased productivity and diversification of agriculture.

• Support of farmers’, women’s and community organisations.

• Reform of rural financial services.

• Develop capacity for tree crop research and development.