Agricultural Extension in Post-Conflict Liberia: Progress Made and Lessons Learned (Chapter in "Building Agricultural Extension Capacity in Post-Conflict Settings")
Publisher: Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International
Author(s): Austen Moore
Date: 2017
Topics: Economic Recovery, Livelihoods, Renewable Resources
Countries: Liberia
Conflict and agriculture have been intertwined in the Republic of Liberia since the country’s formation by repatriated slaves from the USA and subsequent independence in 1847 (Pham, 2004; CIA, n.d.). Early in its history, Liberians of American descent dominated the political process and began to annex lands that traditionally belonged to indigenous groups (Humphreys and Richards, 2005; MoA, 2007). The Americo-Liberian minority eventually controlled many of the nation’s most productive agricultural lands and natural resources (Unruh, 2009).
Many Americo-Liberian landowners practiced a plantation-style agricultural model, while most indigenous farmers either served as labor on large-scale plantations or practiced small-scale farming. The plantation model led to relative productivity in staple and cash crops into the late 1970s (MoA, 2007). Liberia became a net exporter of sugar cane, cocoa, palm oil and rubber.