MAFS & FIPS-AFRICA DISTRIBUTE 5,000 CHICKS AND CHICKEN FEED IN FIVE DISTRICTS

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, in partnership with Farm Input Promotions Africa (FIPS-Africa) based in Kenya, has distributed 1,000 five-week-old chicks each to five districts across Sierra Leone under the Small Pack Initiative. The initiative aims to strengthen access to input services and basic livestock management skills for 1,200 smallholder farmers. Beneficiary districts are Bo, Kenema, Port Loko, Karene, and Moyamba.

Funded by FIPS-Africa and implemented by the Extension Division of MAFS, the Small Pack Initiative supports rural communities through the Village-Based Advisors model. It is designed to improve food security, nutrition, and livelihoods among smallholder farmers, while creating additional income sources, especially for rural women and youth. “I received five chicks, feed, and training under the Small Pack Initiative,” said Musu Kamara from Bo. “I used to rear chickens without proper knowledge, and this affected their size and quality. People hardly bought local chickens at good prices because they were small. Now, I have improved breeds that grow faster and bigger.

I will use the training to rear more chickens for food and income,” she explained. The initiative reinforces the Government’s Feed Salone commitment to empowering smallholder farmers at the grassroots level through access to improved inputs, technical knowledge, and sustainable agricultural practices that contribute to food security, nutrition, and rural economic growth. The symbolic handover of chicks to eligible beneficiaries was conducted by Deputy Minister 2, Mr. Sahr Hemore; Director of Extension, Mr. Alpha Yayah Mansaray; President of NAFFSL, Madam Yatta Sama; and other district stakeholders.