Author : Robert Bimba Title: Community of Hope Agriculture Project Update to Liberia MOA 2019 Date: January 11, 2019 Venue: Ministry of Agriculture Conference Room at the MOA Extension Department

1. “Fighting Hunger For Sustainable Peace”
Community of Hope
Agriculture Project (CHAP)
CHAP Overview, Activities, and Impact over the past years
held @ MOA Conference Room by MOA Extension Department
January 11, 2019
Presented by CHAP SRI/SCI/IMO/SumaGrow/FUV Focal Organization
Liberia /www.chapliberia.org, chapliberia@gmail.com
“Fighting Hunger For Sustainable Peace”

2. BRIEF HISTORY
• CHAP is a Liberian own national initiative specialized in
working in urban and rural communities since 2008
• Established by Apostle James Bimba. CHAP is specialized
in rice, crop, livestock production with marketing and
served as the focal organization for the System of Rice
Intensification(SRI) and System of Crop Intensification in
Liberia since 2012 and is one of the main service
providers for past and current projects under MOA,
World Bank, WAAPP,IFAD,WHH,FAO, SRI Regional, SRI-
Rice Cornell USA.
• CHAP is well structured and a key actor in the agriculture
sector. Currently we are active in Lofa , Montserrado,
Nimba, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Gedeh, River Gee Bassa,
and Cape Mount next month
“Fighting Hunger For Sustainable Peace”

3. “ empowered urban and rural communities
for self-sufficiency, resiliency and good
health”.
CHAP VISION
CHAP MISSION
“Empowering urban and rural communities
to use available resources to promote
climate-smart and nutritional-sensitive
agricultural production and processing, as
well as health education for sustainable
peace and development”.
“Fighting Hunger For Sustainable Peace”

4. CHAP OBJECTIVES
• Build sustainable farming practices by improving farmer’s productivity in
the areas of rice and other crops (System of Rice Intensification, System
of Crop Intensification), vegetable and livestock production embedded
with efficient water, sanitation and hygiene practices.
• Introduce user-friendly labor-saving implements and equipment.
• Improve quantity and quality of local rice production as a result of the
training and equipment received.
• Increase farmers’ income and expand the cycle of rice production and
processing, marketing, and in these areas.
• Provide efficient advisory services to farmers using life-changing
innovations and technology

5. CHAP IMPACT OVER THE YEARS
• Capacity building of extension services of MOA, farmers organizations,
NGOs, and private sector in the areas of ArcGIS,GPS, System of Rice
Intensification, System of Crop Intensification, Identification of pests,
diseases and weeds, report writing and data collection, 2010- current
• Introduction of user-friendly labor-saving devices such as rotary tillers,
weeders and threshers to enhance productivity
• Increase farmers’ incomes and expand the cycle of rice production and
processing and marketing, using MIS (Market Information System)
• Successful implementation of several past and current programs and
projects in the southeast, northwest and south of Liberia and Guinea
• Development of AKM (agriculture knowledge management) tools for
extension services and training of farmers using visual aids as well
• Committed to building sustainable agriculture practices and climate-
smart innovations and technology like SRI and SCI. Our newest coming
up this 2019 is known as SumaGrow and IMO for boosting yields
• Advocacy and communication using our radio program titled ”Farmers
First” and providing internships for agriculture colleges and students
• Member of NRDS/CARD; owner of website; biggest cashew farm

6. CHAP IMPACT OVER THE YEARS
• First to introduce urban peri-agriculture in 2009 and launched by MOA at
our main field in 2010 in Zubah Town, still continuing by CHAP
• CHAP has a business component and was honored by former President
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in 2011 in her annual message for contributing to
Liberia seed recovery with 11 metric tons of certified seeds. She visited
our office and field in 2014.
• Hosted the first Anglophone SRI regional conference in Liberia and
served SRI milled rice. Ranked number one among Anglophone
countries for introduction and scaling-up of SRI under Regional SRI
project/WAAPP in 2015.
• Founder of “I Love Liberian Rice Campaign in 2017 and still championing
this today; one of the seed company and we have MMs
• Provided scholarship to Liberians in and out of Liberia in the area of
machinery, seed inspection, breeding, extension services, organization
development in China, Philippines, USA, Japan, Burkina Faso, Ghana,
Italy, etc.
• Consultancy; participated in the formulation of several agriculture
projects at national and regional levels; carrying out seed testing and
grain quality for nutritional value.

7. CHAP IMPACT OVER THE YEARS
• Experienced in construction and rehabilitation of irrigations schemes,
waterways and dams
• Distributed over 93 tons of certified seeds (Nerica and Suakoko 8) to
10,000 smallholder farmers in Grand Gedeh, River Gee, Grand Kru,
Lofa, Nimba, Magibi, Bong, Bomi, Cape Mount, Bassa since 2010 to
present (10 kg per farmer for 1 ha using SRI)
• Working with 9,300 smallholder farmers in Grand Gedeh, Nimba,Bomi,
Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Magibi, Lofa,Montserrado, Bong,and River
Gee
• CHAP has a data base of 9,300 smallholder farmers (5,700 females and
3,600 males)
• Doubled farmers’ cropping cycle from 1 to 2 times per annum and
increased farmers’ rice yield from 1.3 ton to 3 to 8 tons (Grand Gedeh
reported 8 tons per ha on one farmer’s field, 4 tons in Lofa and 3 tons in
other areas .
• Developed a map of pests and diseases for rice crops in Lofa, Bomi,
Bassa, Montserrado, Cape Mount and Grand Gedeh; awaiting validation
and publication

8. CHAP IMPACT photos and videos

9. CHAP Current Counties of Focus and Programs
• Monsterrado, Bomi ,Grand Gedeh, Nimba, Bong, Lofa, Bassa, Cape
Mount, Gbapolu, Magibi, respectively
Programs we are currently promoting and implementing in these counties:
1. Scaling-up System of Rice Intensification & System of Crop
Intensification with support from SRI-Rice (Cornell USA) and CNS-Riz
(Mali) in 10 counties
2. Kick-off of CHAP milling and marketing program in Grand Gedeh and
Montserrado to supply local market with “I Love Liberian Rice”
3. Climate-smart agriculture and introduction of SumaGrow, IMO, FUV
(farm utility vehicle) in Montserado, Lofa, Nimba and Grand Gedeh
4. Capacity-building of extension workers starting February to April in the
area of identifying pests and diseases using Rice Doctor apps, ArcGIS,
GPS, SRI, SCI and IMO applications; report writing and data base
development and maintenance
5. Reproduction and development of Agriculture Knowledge Management
(AKM) tools for dissemination in 10 counties
6. Radio program titled ”Farmers First” on ELBC and Monthly News
Letters publications and I Love Liberian Rice Annual AWARD

10. CHAP Photos and videos

11. Challenges
• Limited milling capacity to handle bulk paddy as there was a high volume
of paddy rice for milling this season due to the increase in harvest from
project counties
• Mixed varieties affect the quality of the milled rice
• Lack of functional irrigation systems as most lowland are rainfed, slow
response to pest and disease infestation that affected many farmers’ fields
in the first and second quarter of the project
• Pricing of paddy and milled rice. This requires collaborative approach so
that farmers and buyers receive equal treatment
• Limited farmers capacity in the areas of nursery management, planting in
row/lines, leveling, weeding, time available for field work
• Bad roads, difficulties to move farm machines from farm to farm
• In the absence of the seed act, there is no one to regulate the seed
certification process in the country
• Lack of ownership by locals in some areas
• Lack of access to market and agriculture financing

12. List of Innovations
• System of Rice Intensification - a climate smart innovation and technology
• System of Crop Intensification - a climate smart innovation and technology
• SumaGrow and IMO product for boosting yields
• Rice Doctor apps for detecting pests and diseases in the field
• ArcGIS for mapping, timely reporting
• GPS for area measurement and tracking
• Moisture Meter for testing seed quality for preservation
• Grain quality, nutritional testing along with CNS-Riz Mali
• Development of Agriculture Knowledge Management (AKM) tools for effective
Farmer Field Schools (FFS)
• Farm Utility Vehicle (FUV) - changing lives
• Introduction of labor saving devices

13. What is SRI
• The System of Rice Intensification (SRI)
is an agro-ecological, climate-smart
methodology
– For increasing the productivity of rice and
other crops
– By changing the management of plants,
soil, water and nutrients, while reducing
external inputs
• SRI provides principles, guidelines and ideas –
to be adapted to local environment
• Methods make rice crop more climate-proof
“Fighting Hunger For Sustainable Peace”

14. SRI Opportunities for Liberia
“Fighting Hunger For Sustainable Peace”
ERADICATEHunger”
First SRI plot in Liberia, Dec 2012
by the Community of Hope Agriculture
Project (CHAP), Paynesville, Monrovia

15. Reduced water application to rice –
Creating aerobic soil conditions
SRI Opportunities for Liberia
“Fighting Hunger For Sustainable Peace”
ERADICATEHunger”

16. CHAP SRI Farmers Field School --
training using video & powerpoint
“Fighting Hunger For Sustainable Peace”

17. “Fighting Hunger For Sustainable Peace”
SRI 1 plant of rice in Grand Gedeh
ERADICATEHunger”

18. SRI is climate-smart methodology
for rice production
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is
an answer to prayers for growing rice
under the constraints of climate
change, thus creating a triple-win
situation for dealing with agriculture,
climate change, and food security
because it:
1. Sustainably increases rice production
and income of farmers( greater crop
productivity)
2. Strengthens crops’ resilience to
climate change and variability
(facilitates adaptation)
3. Reduces rice’s contribution to
climate change by reducing emission
of greenhouse gases from paddy
fields (helps promote mitigation)
“Fighting Hunger For Sustainable Peace”
ERADICATEEHunger”

19. THANK YOU!
ERADICATEHunger”