By Aminata Abu Bakarr Kamara
Sierra Leone has long been described as a country blessed with fertile soil, abundant rainfall, and vast arable land. Yet, paradoxically, we continue to rely heavily on food imports, particularly rice – our staple food. According to trade data, Sierra Leone spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually importing rice from Asia, while much of our own farmlands remain underutilized. The critical question is this: should we continue down this path of dependency, or should we finally invest strategically in agriculture as a foundation for national development?
The answer may seem obvious, but the debate is far from simple. Import dependency has provided Sierra Leoneans with a steady supply of rice and other goods that local farmers cannot currently produce in sufficient quantities. For urban households, imports mean predictability and, at times, lower prices than what is available locally. Yet the hidden cost of this reliance is staggering. Every bag of imported rice represents money leaving our economy, jobs lost to farmers in Thailand or India, and missed opportunities for rural development at home.
Agriculture, on the other hand, offers more than food security. It promises employment for the majority of our youth, who remain locked in cycles of joblessness and migration to the cities. It holds the potential to reduce poverty in rural areas, stabilize food prices, and build resilience against global shocks – such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war which exposed the dangers of overdependence on foreign food supply chains.
But let us be honest: shifting from import dependency to agricultural self-sufficiency is not a matter of mere political slogans. It requires consistent investment in rural infrastructure, access to modern farming tools, irrigation, quality seeds, fertilizers, and a reliable market system. Too often, farmers are left to struggle on their own, producing at subsistence levels with little incentive to expand. Without storage facilities and good roads, their produce rots before reaching the market. Without financial support, they cannot scale up.
Government programs such as the Food Systems Resilience Project (FSRP) and previous agricultural initiatives are commendable, but they must be backed by serious implementation, not just policy papers. The private sector, too, has a role to play in modernizing agriculture through agro-processing, mechanization, and value chain development. Most importantly, we as citizens must change our attitudes. If Sierra Leoneans continue to insist only on imported “white rice” while dismissing locally produced swamp rice, cassava, or other staples, then no policy can succeed.
The way forward is not to abruptly ban imports, but to adopt a phased approach: gradually reduce dependency by empowering local farmers, while simultaneously diversifying our diets and promoting “eat what we grow.” Public campaigns, school feeding programs, and targeted subsidies could shift national taste and support domestic production. Agriculture is not merely an economic sector; it is a question of sovereignty and dignity. No nation can claim true independence if it cannot feed its people. Sierra Leone stands at a crossroads – we can either remain a consumer nation, dependent on ships docking at Queen Elizabeth II Quay, or we can become a producer nation, proud of feeding ourselves and exporting to others.
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Monday, 22nd September, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
