(Monrovia, Ministerial Complex, October 19. 2021): - The United States Government, through the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), has formally extended an invitation to the Government of Liberia for the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) to join the US Government’s Sustainable Productivity Growth for Food Security and Resource Conservation Action Coalition.

The MOA fully organized the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) Dialogues for Liberia recently to help stakeholders better understand and manage the complex choices that affect the future of food systems and to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Virtual dialogues on Liberia’s food systems' constraints and solutions were held under the convenorship of Minister Jeanine Cooper and the outcomes were presented to the UN by His Excellency President George Manneh Weah on September 23.

Minister Cooper commended President Weah for the direction and support for the agricultural sector and gave Liberia's consent to the US Government's Coalition which the USDA now champions.

This the first direct engagement of the USDA with the Ministry of Agriculture for more than three decades.

All USDA’s engagements with Liberia have been channeled through various USAID-funded projects.

The USDA is the US Government’s ministry, as it is understandably considered outside of the US, responsible for US agricultural, food security and forestry programs and supporting such programs interventions globally.

In a communication addressed to the Minister of Agriculture, Jeanine M. Cooper, dated October 14, 2021 from the USDA through the Embassy of the United States of America in Monrovia, said this US-led global coalition grew from the UN Food Systems Summit.

It is meant for global advocacy towards “increasing sustainable agricultural productivity growth must be recognized as a critical priority to address growing poverty and food insecurity – while coping with climate change and resource scarcity”

The communication also states coalition seeks “to help elevate sustainable productivity and connect actions for productivity growth that advances social, economic, and environmental objectives—the United States is initiating the formation of a Coalition of Action on Sustainable Productivity Growth for Food Security and Resource Conservation”.

As National Convener of the UNFSS for Liberia, Minister Cooper convened 10 virtual dialogues- from August to September – aimed at capturing broader views on four main topics relevant to the country’s food systems.

Stakeholders from all of Liberia’s food systems participated in the dialogues where challenges and constraints in all aspects of our food systems from seeds to wastes were highlighted.

More so, solutions to mitigate those impediments in the rice, cassava, cocoa, oil palm, fishery and animal products were proffered.