Sierra Leone is a tropical country located in West Africa with a population of nearly 5 million people, over 2/3 of whom are involved in agriculture. The climate is characterized by wet and dry seasons with high temperatures year-round. Major rice growing ecologies include uplands, inland valleys, mangroves, bolilands, and riverine grasslands. The National Rice Development Strategy aims to increase productivity, production, and processing/marketing of rice. Current research activities at SLARI focus on varietal screening, integrated pest management, and improving yields across ecologies. Mechanization potential exists but past schemes have faced challenges including inadequate support services and trained operators. Reducing post-harvest losses through improved technologies could

1. COUNTRY PRESENTATION
SIERRA LEONE
BAGGIE, I.
and
GEVAO, S. M. B.
1

2. Introduction
Sierra Leone is situated on the west coast of
Africa.
It has an area of 72,325 Km2, with a mean
population density of 68.8 persons km2.
It lies between latitudes 6°55'N and 10°00'N
(North to South), and from East to West
between longitudes 10°14'W and 13°17'W.
2

3. Climate
• Sierra Leone is a tropical country with
temperatures averaging 800F (260C).
• There are two seasons:
1) Dry Season -- November to April.
2) Wet season -- May to October
This period is characterized by heavy rains
leading to high erosion and leaching of the top
soil. Hence soils in Sierra Leone are generally
poor.
3

4. • A dry north-easterly wind called harmattan
blow at intervals during December to
February, accompanied by fine dust from the
Sahara desert.
4

5. Vegetation
There are two types of forest in Sierra Leone
viz- tropical moist evergreen forest and moist
semi-deciduous forest.
The tropical moist evergreen forest occurs
where relative humidity is high, annual rain fall
is greater than 2500 mm, and the dry season is
not longer than three months.
5

6. Agricultural population
 Sierra Leoneans has a population 4,976, 871, with an
annual population growth rate of about 1.9%.
 More than 2/3 of the total population are either directly or
indirectly involved in agriculture.
 Only 15% of its arable land is currently being cultivated,
because farming engages mostly resource-poor people who
are affected by labour, resource and input constraint.
6

7. Conclusively, the declining soil fertility, high
weed competition, pest and disease damage,
high post harvest losses, small farm holdings
(usually between 0.4 to 1.0 hectare), lack of
funds, the overdependence on the use of
crude tools and the use of low yielding rice
varieties are among the core constraints faced
by rice farmers.
7

8. 8

9. UPLANDS
 Yields in uplands are comparatively low ranging
between 0.7 to 2.0 tons per ha.
 The cropping system in the uplands involves the
typical bush fallow shifting cultivation and as mixed
cropping.
 The rainfall is mono-modal. This can cause some
amount of water stress for long duration rice crops.
.
9

10.  There are several problems both biotic and
abiotic including weed, diseases like blasts
and pests like armyworms, weevils and birds
contribute to the poor yield in the uplands.
The Inland Valley Swamp
The inland valley swamps (IVS) occur in low-
lying areas, often depressions and valley
bottoms between adjacent valleys.
10

11. They are perennial or seasonal type.
 The IVS are found in every part of Sierra
Leone.
 Traditional paddy yields in this ecology is
between 1.4 to 1.9 metric tons per ha but
potential yields are between 3 to 4 metric
tonnes in improved IVS.
 Problems include limited water
management, low fertility levels, iron and
aluminum toxicity
11

12. Mangrove Ecology
Mangrove swamps are inundated by tidal
waves twice daily. Salinity, weeds and crabs
poses serious problems.
 Farmers plant relatively older seedlings and
use more seedlings per hill, a measure to crab
damage.
 The dominant grass species in the mangrove
ecology, Paspalum vaginatum (locally called
Kere Kere) has robust rhizome roots making
ploughing a difficult task.
The (1)Tidal mangrove swamps and
(2)Associated mangrove swamps.
12

13. Tidal Mangrove Swamps
Tidal mangrove swamps are areas which
experience tidal movement of sea water twice
daily. Based on the length of the salt free period,
tidal mangroves are classified in to three
categories.
 Category 1: Mangrove that have a “salt free”
period of less than four month. These swamps are
located nearer to the sea coast.
 Category 2: Mangrove areas under tidal flow but
the "salt-free" period can last longer, i.e., from
four to six months.
 Category 3: Areas which are subjected to tidal
flow for most of the year, but with a "salt-free"
period of more than 6 months.
13

14. Associated Mangrove Swamps
 They are located between the tidal swamp
and the upland.
 They are not subject to tidal floods but get
submerged with up to 20cm depth of water
received as direct rainfall, runoff and seepage.
 They are characterized by excessive grass and
sedge weeds with fewer broad leaved ones
(Agyen-Sampong et al., 1986).
14

15. Boliland
 Bolilands are vast saucer-shaped and poorly
drained depressions lying between rivers.
 Bolilands are generally low in cation exchange
capacity and organic content and consist mainly
of heavy clay or silt.
 Yields in this ecology are generally low – about 1
ton per ha.
 Rice is cultivated in the bolilands once a year.
15

16. Riverain Grassland
The riverain grasslands are found mainly in the
south of the country (around the Sewa and
Wanjei rivers).
 These are the deep water terrain which
carries standing water from 0.5m - 3.0m during
the growing season.
 They could be highly productive with a yield
of between 2 to 3 tons per ha.
 However, proper agronomic management,
pesticide and no fertilizer application are some
of the problems. 16

17. NATIONAL RICE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY (NRDS)
GOAL:
To lay out a framework for significant increases in rice production in
order to contribute to the improvement of food security and economic
development in Sierra Leone.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
1) Ensure an increase in the sustainable productivity and production of
rice.
2) Promote appropriate post harvest handling, processing and
marketing of rice
3) Develop appropriate infrastructure for rice production and
marketing
4) Improve the capacity of stakeholders and institutions involved in
rice sector
17

18. EXPECTED OUTPUTS
Increased productivity per unit area - 4 tons
per hectare
Increased area under cultivation to 1million
hectares.
Quality processed rice available in the local
market.
Crop production intensified.
18

19. Current Activities under CARD
Proposed ‘Africa Network for Agricultural
Mechanization’
Issues to be tackled: These include:
 Limited access of mechanization to smallholder
rice growing farmers.
 Limited availability of affordable machineries for
smallholder rice farmers.
 Inadequate trained manpower in maintenance and
fabrication of agricultural machineries
 Limited knowledge of farmers in the use, and
basic maintenance of farm machineries.
19

20. SLARI core functions
1. Agricultural Research
2. Capacity Strengthening
3. Information and Knowledge
4. Advocacy
20

21. SLARI Staffing Capacity
RARC- Rokupr Agricultural Research Centre
Research Coordinator /Soil 1
Scientist
Senior Research Officer 4
/Agronomists
Research Officer 13
Farm Manager 1
Research Assistants 3
Senior Fld. Superintendent 8
Assistant Farm Manager 1
Field Superintendent 2
Field Technicians 11
Senior Fld. Assistant 10
Field Assistant 7
Field Apprentice 13
Works Service Employee 51
21

22. Agronomic activities
The leguminous trees, Cassia siamea and Gliricidia
sepium produced significantly higher leaf biomass
than Albizia lebbeck in alley cropping with rice in the
upland. Biomass from G. sepium alley gave the
highest contribution to soil nitrogen.
Broadcasting Sesbania rostrata at 10 g m-2 and
incorporating the biomass after 3 - 4 weeks in the
inland valley/mangrove associated swamp resulted in
rice grain yield equivalent to the application of 20 kg
N ha-1.
22

23. The weed species Imperata cylindrica, Oryza
longistaminata and Ischaemum rugosum were
identified as possible host to the Rice Yellow
Mottle Virus (RMYV).
Nematode infestation of seed rice was higher in
tidal mangrove swamps than in the associated
swamps.
One handweeding at 6 weeks after planting
followed by a single fertilizer application gave the
best option for increasing rice grain yield in
upland, inland valley and mangrove swamps.
23

24. In the upland, genotypic differences in response
to N at 80 kg N/ha as Urea and Gliricidia
sepium were evaluated using 15N
methodology. Regardless of rice genotype,
higher grain and straw yields were obtained
with organic fertilizer than with inorganic
fertilizer.
24

25. Varietal Screening for Resistance to ARGM: 100
rice cultivars/varieties were screened for
resistance to ARGM in a ‘hot spot’ associated
mangrove swamp at Rokupr.
The rice varieties exhibited differential
reactions to ARGM infestation ranging from
10% - 68% tiller infestations. Varieties
showing better tolerance to ARGM included:
• TOX 3552 – 64-1-1-3, TN 1/BD 83-11, TN 1/BD
83-1, TOX 3440-16-3-1-1-2-1
25

26. Varietal Screening for Resistance/Tolerance to
Crab Damage: Crabs continue to be a major
pest problem in the tidal mangrove swamp
ecology. On hundred and three rice
cultivars/varieties and advanced breeding
lines were evaluated at Rokupr. Crab damage
was determined as percentage number of hills
or tillers/hill damaged at 5, 10 and 30 DAT. No
fertilizer was applied.
26

27. Uniform Blast Nursery (UBN): 39 selections
from the previous year’s blast screening and
267 mangrove rice segregating populations
were re-tested at 2 locations Rokupr and
Kychom. The disease pressure at Kychom was
low but adequate at Rokupr. Highly resistant
lines included:
• B448-50-2-2-5-1-1, ECIA 136-2-2-1-4, IR
29723-143-3-1, ROHYB 4-WAR-1-3-B-2
27

28. Effect of Sowing Dates on Grain Yield of NERICA
Upland Rice Varieties and ROK 16.
Results indicate that early planting is good.
Results suggest general increase in yield due
to PK manure but to date no confirm data
because laboratory results. (Up to date
results)
28

29. Mechanical Cultivation Potential and Policy
• Sierra Leone is working hard to attain food security.
• In order to reach such a noble good, mechanical cultivation is seen
as a significant strategy among others.
• Extensive grasslands and flood plains have been major attractions
for mechanical cultivation of rice and other field crops in Sierra
Leone.
• It is estimated that potential land for large scale mechanical
cultivation is in excess of 0.5 million hectares.
29

30. Mechanical Cultivation Potential and Policy
(cont’d)
• The use of farm power with emphasis on tractor remains
the policy of Government to increase food and
agricultural production particularly in view of the urgent
need to attain food security.
• Taking into account the previous experience and present
economic situation, Government of Sierra Leone made it a
policy in 2006 to provide the services of tractors to
farmers free of cost with beneficiaries being responsible
for operational expenses. The policy also stressed that
management must be on partnership basis.
• Current policy: The Government has recently introduced a
Machinery Hire Purchase Scheme. 30

31. Current Farm Power Used for Crop Production
• Farm power shortage at the farm level is one of the major
and perhaps the most critical constraint to agricultural
production and productivity in Sierra Leone .
• Over 80% of the total power required on the farm for crop
production and post-production operations is provided by
human labour using hand tool technology (HTT).
• Less than 1% is provided by draught animal power (DAP)
technology (animal traction).
• The rest is contributed by tractor mechanization
technology (TMT) or tractorization as well as a
combination of HTT and TMT.
31

32. Factors Responsible for the failure of Previous
Mechanical Cultivation Scheme
• Mechanical cultivation has been on adhoc basis
with hardly any clear policy
• Inadequate and untimely logistical support (ie.
Untimely deployment of machinery)
• There is a general shortage of trained tractor
operators and mechanics
• Tractors were brought into the country without
adequate spares and implements
32

33. Factors Responsible for the failure of Previous
Mechanical Cultivation Scheme
• Ineffective maintenance schedules
• Importation of wrong types of machines
• Ineffective use of agricultural machinery and
equipment
• Lack of an environment that encourages
participation by the private sector
• Almost all the machinery used for tillage
purposes are manufactured outside of this sub-
region and have to be imported, requiring large
outlays of the limited foreign exchange
33

34. Factors Responsible for the failure of Previous
Mechanical Cultivation Scheme
• The insignificant number of commercial farmers
who can afford to buy farm machines from
machinery importers and service providers
• The lack of credit facilities for the small-scale
farmers mainly because the Commercial Banks do
not accept the traditional land ownership as
collateral for granting farm loans
• The lack of adequately workshops to provide
servicing facilities for the machinery
• There are very few adequately trained and skilled
machine operators and mechanics in the country 34

35. Strategies for Improving Farm Mechanisation in
Sierra Leone
SHORT TERM INTERVENTIONS
• Provide adequate farm machinery services, such as
tractors and harvesters.
• Rehabilitate existing farm machinery workshops in
the country.
• Conduct feasibility study into full-scale
mechanization of rice production in Sierra Leone
• Prevent or reduce postharvest losses to the
minimum
35

36. Strategies for Improving Farm Mechanisation in
Sierra Leone
MEDIUM AND LONG-TERM INTERVENTIONS
• Conduct feasibility studies for full-scale mechanization
in specific locations
• Establish country-wide well-equipped workshops for
maintenance of machines
• Train operators and mechanics
• Establish specialized training facilities for machine
operators and mechanics
• Establish crop processing centers
• Introduce Machinery Hire Purchase scheme to promote
commercialization.
36

37. POSTHARVEST TECHNOLOGY
•In the traditional set-up, post harvest technology
may not be new but the systems used are
inefficient and would need improvement.
•Post harvest losses account for up to 25 per cent
of losses on agricultural production in Sierra Leone.
• A reduction of these losses could substantially
increase food production in the country without an
increase in the acreages cultivated. 37

38. POSTHARVEST TECHNOLOGY(cont’d)
The primary constraints are:
•Sierra Leone has a small nucleus of well
qualified and trained manpower resources in
the pos-harvest sub-sector.
•Funding, and
•Lack of suitable post-harvest technologies to
extend to the farmers which are technically,
socially and economically sustainable.
38

39. Distribution of postharvest losses by methods and operation
Operation Traditional Improved Difference
(%) (%) (%)
Reaping 4.99 4.25 0.74
Threshing 6.18 1.39 4.79
Drying 6.62 3.87 2.75
Milling 7.97 4.73 3.24
Total 25.76 14.24 11.52
39
Source: Agric. Sector Master Plan of Sierra Leone (1994)

40. IMPORTANCE OF CROP PROCESSING
•Brings higher income to farmers by the sale of
better quality products.
•Reduces losses during harvest and storage.
•Facilitates food distribution and minimizes food
transportation costs.
•Generates better employment opportunities in
rural areas which minimize the migration of youths
to urban centers. 40

41. IMPORTANCE OF CROP PROCESSING (cont’d)
•Improves the diet of the population by producing
good quality farm products.
•Contributes to the gross national product by
making farm products more competitive for the
export market and thereby attracting more foreign
exchange
•Raises the economic value of livestock enterprises
by providing adequate and improved animal feeds.
41

42. Distribution of Threshing Losses by Methods
Threshing Traditional Improved (%)
Method (%)
Foot trampling 5.77 -
Stick threshing 8.14 -
IRRI thresher - 1.47
Average 6.95
Source: Agric. Sector Master Plan of Sierra Leone (1994)
42

43. Distribution of Milling Recovery by Method
Type of Mill Milling Output (%) Input
Capacity
Raw Parboiled Average
(kg/hr)
Laboratory 70.7 71.0 70.9 0.2
Mill
Hand 65.5 67.5 66.5 6.5
Pounding
Engleberg 60.0 65.3 62.7 234.7
Mill
Rubber Roll 64.7 70.3 67.5 351.8
Mill
Source: Agric. Sector Master Plan of Sierra Leone (1994) 43

44. Studies Undertaken in the Area of Rice
Postharvest Engineering (cont’d)
No. Name of PROGRAMME Research Theme
Student
1. MORIBA, M.Sc in Milling Recovery by Hand Pounding of Paddy Rice as
Francis Postharvest Influenced by Parboiling Methods in Sierra Leone
(2008) Technology
2. MARRAH, B.Sc (Hons) A Comparison of Some Physical Properties of Rice Grains of
Moham Agriculture Upland Nerica Lines
ed
(2010)
3. LEIGH, B.Sc (Hons) An Assessment of the Quality of Rice Grains Marketed in
Alpha Agriculture Sierra Leone
Umaru
(2010)
4. JALLOH, B.Sc (Hons) The Influence of Grain Type on the Storage Quality of Milled
Sheku Agriculture Rice Sold in Urban Markets of Sierra Leone
(2011)
5. SCOTT- B.Sc (Hons) The Effects of Parboiling Method on the Organoleptic Quality
MANG NFT of Some Rice Varieties in Sierra Leone
A,
Jennifer 44

45. Studies Undertaken in the Area of Rice
Postharvest Engineering
No. Name of PROGRAMM Research Theme
Student E
1. BEAH, J. B.Sc A Comparative Study of the different Methods of Parboiling
(1988) Agriculture Paddy with Special Reference to the Milling Quality
General
2. CONTEH, B.Sc Assessing the Milling Recoveries of Fifteen Rice Varieties
A.B.S. Agriculture of the Rice Research Station, Rokupr
(1993) General
3. MORRAY, B.Sc Assessing the Effectiveness of the Hand-Pounding Method
Abdul Agriculture of Milling Rice Using Three Different Pestle Ends
(1996) General (Plain wood, Iron and Rubber)
45

46. CONCLUSIONS
• Quantification of losses is affected by a number of
variables: mixed varieties, lodging, crop maturity,
field conditions, family labour or hired labour,
climatic conditions at harvest, etc.
• Domestic food availability could be significantly
increased if the level of postharvest losses are
reduced.
• Accurate assessment of postharvest losses requires
considerable financial, human and transport
resources.
46

47. RECOMMENDATIONS
To reduce post-harvest losses in Sierra Leone:
•Field losses at harvest, field drying, threshing,
winnowing and drying after harvest need to be
estimated.
•Improved storage systems need to be
introduced and tested at the village level.
•Improved methods of grain handling need to
be evaluated at the village level.
47

48. RECOMMENDATIONS (cont’d)
•Institutions for the promotion of post harvest
technology need to be established.
•The causes of and methods of controlling losses
should be given attention and publicity.
•Reduction of postharvest losses must, in many
cases, be tackled directly or as a by-product of
other interventions.
•Farmer and staff training should e promoted.
48

49. THANK YOU
49