Highlights:

Part 2 of the report focuses on enhancing value chains to boost food security.

It shows that food insecurity has increased, with many households unable to meet their basic food and nutrition needs.

Over the years, the rates of food and nutrition insecurity in Sierra Leone have been some of the most severe in West and Central Africa (AFW), as well as globally.

Sierra Leone has faced persistent challenges along all the four dimensions of food security: access, availability, utilization, and system stability.

Overall access to food has been eroded as a result of falling incomes in recent years. Access to food is also highly unequal.

Recent developments in international markets, and the rise in domestic food inflation have accentuated challenges to food access.

Sustained access to agricultural produce is also hindered by poor rural infrastructure. The end-product is usually so costly due to the complex value chains at play, and of such poor quality, that it cannot compete with imported rice in terms of price or consumer preferences for whiteness, grain uniformity, softness, and aroma – and ends up being traded mostly in local rural markets.

Despite having just enough calories to meet the aggregate needs of the population, albeit with a downward trend, Sierra Leone lags Africa and the world in terms of average calorie supply, indicating a break between food availability and access.

Despite higher overall production than other regional economies, Sierra Leone has become increasingly dependent on imports, especially for rice, its major food staple.

Food utilization is poor, as reflected in indicators of child health.

Food utilization is poor, as reflected in indicators of child health.

Sierra Leone’s food supply is dominated by cereals and other starchy staples.

Sierra Leone does not produce enough food to meet domestic requirements, although its per capita food production compares favorably with that in other West African countries for many items.

The stability of Sierra Leone’s food system is chiefly defined by its exposure to climate and economic shocks.

Sierra Leone’s high degree of macroeconomic instability make the country highly vulnerable to disruptions in global commodity and financial markets

Recommendations:

Specific opportunities and challenges for improving the agricultural sector and food system performance are captured through three important value chains – rice, cocoa, and horticulture.

For all three classes of commodities, key strategic areas for policy and investment include:

• Inputs, mechanization, and advisory services;

• Harvest and post-harvest management;

• Output distribution and marketing.

In the face of high and increasingly volatile prices in global markets, rice self-sufficiency may seem like an obvious policy objective, but reality is more complex. In the face of high and increasingly volatile prices in global markets, rice self-sufficiency may seem like an obvious policy objective, but reality is more complex.

Several other factors matter for boosting food security that have not been explored in this chapter but require closer analysis, such as targeted resource transfers and price subsidies.