The most serious impediments to increase sustainable rice production in Liberia:
- lack of appropriate agricultural machines that are needed for sustainable rice cultivation,
- lack of trained farmers and craftsmen that are capable to handle, repair and maintain agricultural machines,
- lack of infrastructure to theoretically and practically train farmers on site. In recent years, several companies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other institutions have purchased agricultural machines to efficiently solve these problem
In recent years, several companies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other institutions have purchased agricultural machines to efficiently solve these problem (1).
Nevertheless, they only rent these machines to people who are capable to adequately handle, repair and maintain them. That is why problem (2) and problem (3) still have to be seen as huge challenges to foster sustainable rice production in Liberia.
There are only very few actors on the Liberian agricultural market that concentrate on organic rice production and can be compared with MedLife`s level of productivity, efficiency and performance. Most of the rice producers in Liberia are small-scale farmers, who practice subsistence farming. Nevertheless and like MedLife itself, all potential competitors have to experience a shortage of skilled labour. The demand on farmers, which have been sufficiently trained in the maintenance and repair of mechanical equipment, by far surpasses the available supply.