Livelihood, Innovations, Food Security and Entrepreneurship (LIFE)

Liberia continues to face high levels of food insecurity, poverty and pressure on rural livelihoods. In 2024, WFP reported that more than 2 million people, around 47% of the population, were food insecure, with many households affected by low agricultural productivity, reliance on imported staple foods and rising prices. The 2025 Global Hunger Index classifies hunger in Liberia as “serious”, with over one-third of the population undernourished. 

These challenges are especially important in rural counties such as Grand Bassa and Rivercess, where many households depend on rain-fed smallholder farming and have limited access to markets, finance and services. Strengthening inclusive, nutrition-sensitive and market-oriented livelihoods is therefore key to helping families improve food security, income and resilience..

In response to these challenges, the Livelihood, Innovations, Food Security and Entrepreneurship (LIFE) programme supports rural households in Grand Bassa and Rivercess to strengthen food security, incomes and resilience. The Irish Aid-funded programme is implemented by Concern Worldwide Liberia from January 2023 to December 2027 under Food Systems for Food Security (FS4FS). 

LIFE places particular emphasis on women’s participation, locally led delivery and partnership with Liberian organisations, recognising the central role women and local actors play in strengthening rural livelihoods.

The programme works across 113 communities, directly reaching 5,002 people, 68% of whom are women, and indirectly benefiting more than 22,000 community members. Its work combines support for climate-smart agriculture, nutrition-sensitive production, savings and loans, market linkages and learning.

LIFE is implemented by Concern in partnership with the Liberia Agency for Community Development (LACD) and the Community of Hope Agriculture Project (CHAP). The programme also works closely with the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Gender, helping align delivery with national systems while strengthening local partner capacity for long-term sustainability.

LIFE aims to strengthen inclusive, resilient and nutrition-sensitive food systems so that rural households can produce more food, improve diets, increase income and better withstand shocks. The programme works towards five linked outcomes: increased agricultural production and on-farm processing; improved resilience of farmers and communities; stronger markets for diverse and nutritious foods; evidence to inform policy and practice; and stronger capacity among local and national NGO partners.

• Increase agricultural production through climate-smart agriculture, farmer field schools, Inland Valley Swamp development and improved crop management.
• Improve household food security and dietary diversity through diversified production, kitchen gardens and nutrition-sensitive livelihoods.
• Strengthen household and community resilience through Community Savings and Loan Associations, Village Agents and access to microcredit.
• Improve market systems for nutritious foods by promoting value addition, cassava processing, market linkages and engagement with local processors.
• Generate evidence and learning on food systems, market access and climate-smart approaches to inform programme adaptation and policy dialogue.
• Strengthen local leadership by working through national partners and building their technical, governance, monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning, and operational capacity.

LIFE supports farmers with practical, community-based activities that aim to increase production while reducing exposure to climate and environmental risks. Farmers take part in farmer field schools and receive training in climate-smart agriculture, System of Rice Intensification, Inland Valley Swamp development, cassava production, kitchen gardening and post-harvest practices. These approaches are designed to improve soil health, use water more efficiently, diversify crops and strengthen household food security.

LIFE also uses savings groups as a practical way to help households manage risk and invest in their livelihoods. Community Savings and Loan Associations are supported through training, mentoring and Village Agents, helping members save money, access credit and invest in farming, small businesses, education and household needs. The programme also supports women’s economic empowerment through the We Are One gender-transformative approach and by encouraging women to take leadership roles in community structures.

Market systems work helps connect production gains to income. LIFE strengthens cassava value chains by promoting processing into gari and fufu, supporting links with buyers and working with partners such as SAPPIMA Gari. The programme also contributes to learning on food systems, smallholder market access, climate-smart rice production and value chain opportunities. Through CHAP and LACD, national partners deliver more than half of LIFE activities. Regular field meetings, review sessions, joint monitoring and practical technical support from Concern help maintain quality while strengthening local leadership.

Between 2023 and 2025, LIFE achieved the following:

• Reach: Worked across 113 communities and directly reached 4,371 people, representing 19,232 household members.
• Women’s participation: Women made up 68% of direct participants, reflecting LIFE’s focus on supporting women’s roles in farming, savings groups and household decision-making.
• Agricultural production: 788 farmers adopted climate-smart agriculture, 225 smallholders applied System of Rice Intensification practices on communal plots, and 56.  farmers replicated SRI on individual farms.
• Cassava yields: Crop cut assessments showed cassava yields of 6.27 MT/ha against a programme target of 700 kg/ha. 
• Extension and improved practices: 98% of farmers reported receiving extension services, while adoption of improved agricultural practices reached 47.7%, slightly above the 45% target.
• Financial inclusion: LIFE supported 111 Community Savings and Loan Associations with 2,775 members, helping households save, borrow and invest in livelihoods and essential needs.
• Access to finance: 81% of participants reported access to finance against a 50% target, indicating that savings groups are expanding practical financial options in rural communities.
• Women’s financial decision-making: 53.5% of women reported exclusive decision-making over home garden income, while 46.5% reported joint decision-making.
• Market engagement: The programme strengthened cassava processing, improved access to seven food groups in local markets, and established links with SAPPIMA Gari.
• Localisation: LIFE allocated 29.7% of its 2025 budget to local partners, close to the 30% target, supporting locally led implementation.

Several lessons are emerging from LIFE. First, farmer-led demonstration and peer learning are important for adoption, but wider replication takes time. In 2025, 788 farmers adopted climate-smart practices and 225 applied SRI on communal plots, while 18 farmers applied SRI on their own farms. Continued technical follow-up, evidence sharing and practical support will be needed to move from demonstration to wider uptake.

Second, financial inclusion is a strong entry point for resilience, but CSLA replication still needs more support. Access to finance exceeded targets, while CSLA replication remained below target, pointing to the need for clearer replication strategies, stronger Village Agent systems and continued mentoring. This links closely to market systems work: increased production will only improve incomes if farmers can process, store and sell crops profitably. Localisation is also central to sustainability and works best when partners receive both resources and practical accompaniment, including MEAL, financial systems, governance and technical support.

Integrated programming delivers stronger, more impactful, and more sustainable outcomes. Implementing livelihoods, WASH, nutrition, and market systems activities, interconnecting them, and taking into consideration the varying intersectionalities (gender, abiities) ensure that the needs of programme participants are addressed holistically.
Localisation works when partners are empowered and not just contracted or funded. Investing in partners’ capacities coupled with mentoring and coaching, joint planning, and decision-making enables local NGOs to lead on programme delivery.

Ongoing routine and joint monitoring, review and reflection sessions enable programmes to identify challenges early, learn what is changing, respond and adapt to emerging issues, and improve programme results.

LIFE uses programme evidence to influence agricultural and nutrition policy in Liberia. Concern is working with the Ministry of Agriculture to promote a value chain approach, supported by research on cassava and analyses of the rice, poultry and snail value chains.

The programme is also working with the Ministry’s extension services and the Liberia National Rice Federation to expand the use of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). In partnership with SRI-2030, LIFE is supporting two Liberian practitioners to become certified SRI master trainers. The aim is to strengthen local expertise, improve rice quality and increase the supply of locally produced paddy to processors.

Nutrition advocacy has helped secure greater government leadership and investment. Improving Liberia’s Global Hunger Index score is now a national target under the Government’s ARREST Agenda. Following engagement with the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement, two full-time SUN positions were transferred from UNICEF funding to the government payroll.

At the 2026 Global Hunger Index launch, the Minister of Agriculture presented a national food and nutrition security assessment and food crisis preparedness plan supported by Concern. The Government has also committed to progressively increasing nutrition spending towards 5% of the national budget. The proposed allocation for 2026 is approximately 1% to 1.2%, compared with 0.3% in 2025.

Advocacy is continuing to include treatment for severe acute malnutrition in Liberia’s Essential Medicines List and improve the supply chain for ready-to-use therapeutic food.

Across the soccer pitch from the local church in the rural Liberian village of Borglay, a two acre patch of land is being carefully prepared for a new agroforestry project, under the watchful supervision of Concern’s James Kerkula. 

“This land had previously been used by the community to plant cassava, but I think they’re enthusiastic about the new plan.” That plan is to create an orchard. “We have had many meetings with the local farmers and put a lot of collective thought into the design and the mixture of different trees that will be cultivated. There will be orange, avocado, tangerine, cashew, grapefruit, golden plum, german plum and local plum.” 

Pineapple plants that have already been set at carefully measured intervals and will soon be producing fruit. The rest of the trees will require a longer lead-in time before they start to be productive. James holds up one of a batch of young trees that has just been delivered from a nursery by the Concern truck. “It will take up to four years for these orange trees to mature, so it’s a reasonably long-term investment. But we believe it will be worth it.” 

Because of the varieties of weather and climate, the community is using conservation agriculture techniques such as mulching to preserve moisture during the dry season and provide natural fertilizer for the saplings. In the initial stages the future orchard will require regular watering from the nearby borehole, which for now will be carried out by a group of smallholder farmers and members of the local mother’s group. It’s hoped to install a dedicated water supply in the medium term. 

“There will be multiple benefits. Obviously, it will be a source of food and nutrition, complementary to the staple crops that the farmers are growing. We have been working with the mother’s group to explore the value of a diverse diet to help prevent undernutrition and malnutrition, especially for growing children. Some of them already have orange trees in their backyard gardens. These trees, when they grow, will also help anchor the soil and protect it from erosion, as well as providing shade and shelter for people in the community” explains James.

It’s intended that the orchard will serve as a demonstration plot for other communities to learn new techniques and as a source of seed multiplication. In addition to the training and tree saplings, Concern has also supplied the community with a variety of tools, including shovels, hoes, watering cans, and wheelbarrows.