By Dadson A. Musa

The Global Environment Facility (GEF), under the Food System Resilience Program (FSRP), has held a National Stakeholders Meeting to officially mark the start of a project aimed at promoting nature-based approaches to strengthen food systems in Sierra Leone.

The one-day meeting, directly implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and other stakeholders, brought together more than 70 participants from government institutions, the private sector, farmers’ organisations and development partners to understand their roles and responsibilities in the implementation of the GEF project.

Delivering the keynote address, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Jiwoh Abdulai, said the project seeks to bring nature-based solutions closer to farmers while strengthening the country’s food systems.

He stressed that environmental protection must be everyone’s effort to improve food security, noting that the country cannot afford to lose sight of nature because environmental degradation directly affects agricultural production and livelihoods.

“We should be deliberate in investing in initiatives that will provide economic growth for communities while restoring nature,” Minister Abdulai emphasised.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security I, Dr. Isata Kamanda, underscored the importance of the GEF initiative in advancing the Government’s Feed Salone agenda.

She noted that protecting the environment is fundamental to building resilient and productive food systems.

“When we protect the environment, we build food systems,” Dr. Kamanda stated.

The project is expected to strengthen collaboration among key stakeholders while supporting farmers to adopt sustainable and nature-based approaches that contribute to food security, environmental restoration and climate resilience.