The 50x2030 Initiative Supports National Food Security Strategy in Sierra Leone

The Feed Salone Strategy for Sierra Leone is a national strategy focused on achieving food security, increasing resilience through climate-smart agriculture, creating economic opportunity and improving livelihoods. It was launched in October 2023.

In support of this new national strategy in Sierra Leone, the 50x2030 Initiative Data Use component, led by IFAD, partnered with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) to organize a workshop to identify and harmonize key indicators of the agricultural sector that would be used to inform the Feed Salone Strategy.

The workshop was held in Bo, Sierra Leone on February 26 – March 1, 2024. The workshop was inaugurated by the Deputy Minister Mrs. Theresa Dick and had in attendance senior management and technical staff of the Ministry of Agriculture. Notably, the former Director General of MAFS and the Directors and Deputy Directors of the different divisions attended the workshop. There was also participation from colleagues from Statistics Sierra Leone and from the academic community.

At the end of the workshop, a indicators’ matrix was developed and aligned with the Feed Salone Strategy’s key objectives. The indicators’ matrix is a list of indicators of the agricultural and rural sector, including crops, livestock, extension, agricultural equipment, business and private sector, food security and nutrition, that the government needs to monitor the sector and Feed Salone Strategy. 

Prior to the workshop, the Feed Salone Strategy was informed by agricultural and rural indicators, but they were broad and needed greater specificity to be effective. The workshop conducted with the support and partnership of the 50x2030 Initiative helped to tailor the indicators and also ensure that the Ministry, beyond the Feed Salone Strategy, can inform the SDGs and CAADP indicators using the 50x2030 data and additional data from the Ministry.