Attachments
In Numbers
- 256,473 people assisted
- 717 mt of food assistance distributed
- US$ 6.6 million six-month net funding requirements (March- August 2025)
Operational Updates
• WFP and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security launched a high-tech rice milling house in Rokupr,
Kambia, as part of efforts to boost local rice production, reduce post-harvest losses, and increase farmer incomes. The facility, inaugurated by Hon. Minister Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka and WFP representative, is the first of ten planned nationwide. It aims to modernize rice processing, improve grain quality, and enhance market competitiveness for local rice. The milling hubs will strengthen the home-grown school feeding programme, which sources rice from local farmers for school meals.
The facilities will also help the farmers to save time, reduce losses, and increase profits. Supported by WFP, the Government of Japan, and Satake, this initiative aligns with Sierra Leone’s agricultural transformation goals.
• In Kenema and Pujehun districts, smallholder farmers supported by WFP in the month of February completed harvesting and post-harvest activities such as threshing, winnowing, and sun drying. WFP will purchase this rice for the home-grown school feeding programme, providing income for local farmers. Additionally, 20 metric tons of rice were aggregated and packaged at the Gberia Fortombo Agricultural Business Centre in Falaba district, with quality checks supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture.
• WFP, funded by the European Union, reported severe deforestation in Sierra Leone’s Western Area Peninsular National Park. Satellite data showed 715 hectares lost in 2024, totalling 5,600 hectares since monitoring began.
Land grabbers, quarries, and fires threaten endangered species and the Guma Valley Dam, which supplies 90 percent of Freetown’s drinking water. Deforestation increases sedimentation, raising treatment costs and risks of mudslides. Despite being a protected area and UNESCO candidate, illegal activities persist, prompting urgent calls for action to safeguard the park’s ecological and water security. In 2024, WFP rehabilitated and cultivated over 1,000 ha of inland valley swamp which reduced pressure on the forest by decreasing the need for upland farming.