In Sierra Leone, FAO’s Director-General visits a critical veterinary laboratory and a pioneering onion farm

Freetown, Sierra Leone - During an official visit to the Republic of Sierra Leone, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu visited the country’s Central Veterinary Laboratory and a pioneering large-scale onion farm over the weekend, both offering opportunities to discuss how to deepen FAO’s support for the West African country.

The CVL, located in Teko Village, has a central role to play in Sierra Leone’s management of antimicrobial resistance risks, livestock health, and the surveillance and diagnostic activities of animal diseases, including avian influenza, anthrax, African Swine fever and Peste des Petits Ruminants. The laboratory has been renovated and upgraded to Biosafety Level 2, and FAO is now exploring ways to help expand the facility to include a food safety laboratory.

“It is Important to support and priorities scientists because their work assists government to make informed science-based policies and decision making,” Qu said. “Sharing of best practices and exchange of scientific knowledge is also important for animal health, food safety and for agricultural productivity and profitability.”

Qu and his delegation also visited Pee Cee Agriculture (PCA), in Lungi, Sierra Leone’s first large-scale, fully-irrigated, climate-smart mechanized onion farm, set up with the support of a $12 million loan from the International Finance Corp. with the aim of reducing imports and ensuring year-round production. The 646-hectare farm, which also produces maize and poultry, has created more than 500 new jobs, and FAO is advising on ways to use it as a platform for technical training of local smallholders.

The Director-General discussed how to leverage FAO’s policy expertise to further incentivize private-sector-led agriculture and replicate the model for other staple crops.
Addressing local smallholders at the farm, Qu advised them to intercrop alfalfa with maize and onion to mitigate poor soil quality caused by heavy rainfall. He stated that intercropping can improve soil quality. He also advised the farmers to build reservoirs to enable them to maintain production during the dry seasons.

The Director-General’s visit to Sierra Leone included meetings with H.E. Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic, and H.E. Henry Musa Kpaka, Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, as well as with several Ministers.