Environmental research

This project responds to an assessment carried out by the Sustainable Urban Rural Integrated Development Organization (SURIDO) in 2 communities (Sass town and Zordee,) in Clay District, Bomi County in 2013 in which the Comprehensive Food Security and Nutrition Survey (CFSNS) (2012) report that Bomi County is the most food insecure County was confirmed. The goal of this project is to promote low-land cultivation and increase the knowledge of community members on climate change adaptation through agriculture. The project will focus on working with community members to adapt climate smart lowland farming in order to minimize slash and burn agriculture, which is responsible for erosion and deforestation in the targeted communities. The project location is in Clay District; targeting two (2) communities who are currently involved in low yield slash and burn farming practices which has adverse effects on the forests and the environment. Local people lack the basic knowledge about conservation or climate smart agriculture, this is why SURIDO wants to join the efforts of the Government and other non-governmental organizations to build capacity at the local level for integrated low-land farming that considers climate change, natural habitat and biodiversity conservation; people at the local level need to be aware of the consequences of their actions which inadvertently is impacting even their local environment and reducing their livelihood options. The case with Bomi County is even more peculiar in that Bomi s status as the least food producing county and also one of the biggest suppliers of charcoal and firewood to Monrovia thereby is putting serious strain on natural ecosystems, particularly the forests. Efforts need to be scaled up to attract investments in conservation activities in Bomi, low-land integrated farming will provide high yield and reduce pressure on available forests in the project area.

Liberia