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The Third Generation Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper is a cross-sectoral national strategic document of Sierra Leone in force during 2013-2018. Its main objective is to achieve a robust and consistent level of high economic growth and to maintain significant progress on governance indicators together with sustained improvements in human development indicators for its citizens.The Paper provides for various measures in order to increase the production of staple food crops for food security. These measures mainly concentrate on agricultural development and are summarized below. The Paper also aims to provide nutrition services such as scaling-up nutrition by strengthening focus on women and children, improving identification and management of severe acute malnutrition and strengthening surveillance systems; improving household food security and dietary diversity as well as strengthening emergency care, and emergency, epidemic and disaster response. As part of a social protection measure it also envisages food aid.The Paper is also concerned with the environment and sustainable use of natural resources. In particular, it notes that maximum levels of exploitation consistent with sustainability and growth should be determined with regard to natural resources of the country. In this area, it notes, all activities must be gender sensitive, and cater to vulnerable groups. It also provides that incentives and measures must be designed in all cases to encourage local participation in resource management and the value chain for each subsector, but not at the expense of long-term efficiency and competitiveness. Further, in the sector of forestry, the overall goals in the Paper are to sustain the management, utilization of forest resources and the preservation of the environment for biodiversity conservation, research and education.In addition to the measure mentioned above, the Paper also includes other measures to reduce rural poverty. For example, it provides for facilitating better organisation of farmers by providing support towards the establishment and operationalisation of smallholder cash-crop farmer cooperatives. It also envisages extension services to 82,500 farm households in order to increase the productivity and production of rice, cassava, and livestock. In the area of social protection, the Paper stresses implementation of the 2011 National Social Protection Policy, to complement the effects of economic growth in building resilience. Strategies will develop social protection policies, institutions and programmes, building capacity of relevant agencies and their staff; extending social insurance interventions; providing basic social protection packages for the vulnerable; strengthening support for nutrition, health care, education and housing.The document provides for a series of measures for more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems, including (1) increasing farmers’ access to agricultural inputs; (2) improving farmers’ use of technology by increasing the activities of research and extension services, with plans that focus on use of technology; (3) undertaking land and water development programmes; (4) improving the skills and organisation of farmers by rolling out schemes for training on improved farming techniques; (5) encouraging agricultural input markets to be led by the private sector; (6) improving animal health care to facilitate livestock production; (7) constructing new feeder roads and rehabilitating existing feeder roads to facilitate the bringing of agricultural production to markets; (8) operationalising a strategic grain reserve to ensure that food reserves are available in times of urgent need; (9) increasing availability of processing facilities; (10) establishing hubs of value-adding activities; (11) implementing National Food Quality Bill; (12) rehabilitating existing plantations and facilitating the establishment of new plantations for cash-crop production by ensuring land lease agreement providing investment incentives; (13) improving the institutional setup for export standards though building the capacity of the Standards Bureau to effectively monitor the quality of cash-crop exports; and (14) continuing to increase regional and international integration.In addition, the document provides for improving access to finance for farmers. In this regard, it aims to increase access to finance for agricultural workers and firms; build the capacity of financial institutions, including financial services associations and community banks, to support small to medium scale investments in the agriculture sector, and to lend to farmers of all sizes.Additionally, the Paper contains policies regarding land management aiming to: (1) improve and strengthen the existing land administration system and land laws; (2) instituting reforms in relation to regulation that govern the way in which land ownership rights and obligations are determined; (3) ensuring and promoting participation of local communities and relevant stakeholders in planning, design and implementation processes, with special emphasis on gender equality; and finally, (4) supporting programs for improved landscape management to sustain long-term land productivity.In the area of disaster management, it aims to improve weather services and early warning systems. It also plans to transform the Disaster Management Department into a statutory agency in order to ensure effective coordination and management of disasters. Overall, the Paper intends to introduce an effective environmental management system which protects the country’s biodiversity and is capable of pre-empting environmental disasters.The implementation of the Agenda for Prosperity will be undertaken by all organs of Government; Central Government, legislature, judiciary, Local Councils, Civil Society Organisations, media and the Private Sector. At the local level and in line with the devolution process, local Government agencies – councils, chiefdom and wards will lead the implementation of programmes and projects within their respective functions and localities. The civil society and non-governmental organisations will provide effective partnership.
Implemented by: Strategic Plan for the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children Affairs (MSWGCA) 2014-2018. (2013-11)
