Feed Salone at Two: Promise, Progress, or Political Poetry?
By Edward Dictionary Caulker
Two years ago, on October 16, 2023, President Julius Maada Bio stood before the nation and unveiled an ambitious dream a national agricultural transformation strategy he called “Feed Salone.”
Its goal was as simple in expression as it was monumental in scope: to make Sierra Leone self-sufficient in food production, end hunger, and transform agriculture into a sustainable economic engine.
Speaking during the launch in Pujehun District, President Bio declared:
“As President of the Republic, I am using this World Food Day to crown myself as the ‘Chief Farmer’ from today (after all, I come from a Ruling House). As the ‘Chief Farmer’, I see fertile lands and a nation ripe with agricultural potential and teeming with possibilities. I fervently desire that we use our agricultural potential to attain food security and sovereignty in Sierra Leone in our lifetime.”
The President’s words inspired hope across the nation. The Feed Salone strategy was presented as a five-year roadmap to elevate agriculture from subsistence to sustainability, empowering farmers, modernizing production, and reducing the country’s heavy reliance on imported rice.
But two years later, the question on many citizens’ lips remains:
Has Feed Salone truly fed Sierra Leone or is it still feeding on promises?
At its core, Feed Salone sought to rewrite a painful national narrative. For decades, Sierra Leone has spent an estimated $250 million annually on rice imports, draining foreign reserves and discouraging local production. The government’s plan was to turn that tide — increasing domestic productivity, improving irrigation, and building a food-secure nation that “grows what it eats and eats what it grows.”
The initiative was hailed as the beginning of a new agricultural revolution — one that would finally make agriculture the backbone of the economy once again.
However, as every ambitious policy eventually meets the test of implementation, dreams must meet data, and optimism must be weighed against outcomes.
During The Epic Morning Show on Epic Radio 99.3 FM, hosted by Ivan Leigh, two experts shared their perspectives on the current state of Feed Salone.
Alpha Yayah Mansaray, Executive Director of Extension at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, maintained that the initiative is already showing positive results.
“The Feed Salone initiative has had a significant impact on reducing the price of rice,” Mansaray said.
“We have not yet received the full 10% government budget allocation for agriculture, but it’s a work in progress. Even 8% would help turn the system around.”
He highlighted that school feeding programs and the World Food Programme’s purchase of locally grown rice were tangible signs of progress.
“We started from ground zero,” Mansaray emphasized. “Feed Salone is progressing at a much faster pace than the ministry initially expected.”
For government officials, these are signs of the early shoots of national agricultural recovery — evidence that policy is gradually touching lives and communities.
Yet, the optimism from government corridors is met with sober caution from the private sector.
Ahmed Nanoh, Executive Secretary of the Sierra Leone Chamber for Agribusiness Development (SLeCAD), offered a more pragmatic view.
“Locally produced rice is not yet competitive because it is more expensive than imported rice,” he noted.
“The government’s efforts are commendable, but market realities remain challenging. Imported rice continues to dominate shop shelves because it’s cheaper and has a stronger supply chain.”
Nanoh proposed a twofold approach making local production competitive while exploring export opportunities through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“If Sierra Leoneans are not buying locally produced rice, then we should use AfCFTA to export our products so that our farmers can benefit,” he said.
“The government should also create an enabling environment to encourage private sector investment in advancing the Feed Salone initiative.”
His perspective underscores a key truth: no government program can thrive in isolation. Agriculture must be driven by market incentives, not just policy pronouncements.
Across Sierra Leone, the Feed Salone story remains uneven.
In urban areas, the price of rice remains stubbornly high. In rural communities, smallholder farmers still struggle with poor access to seeds, fertilizers, and farm machinery. Even when production improves, poor road networks, limited storage facilities, and weak market access prevent farmers from reaching consumers profitably.
While there has been modest progress in local rice production, affordability and availability remain major concerns. Many citizens are left wondering:
If the government is producing more rice, why isn’t it reaching our tables at lower prices?
This gap between production and consumption highlights that Sierra Leone’s challenge is not only about growing food, but about sustaining systems systems that can store, transport, market, and distribute agricultural output efficiently.
For Feed Salone to move from aspiration to achievement, its success will hinge on three critical pillars:
Policy Consistency
Agricultural programs often suffer from discontinuity after elections. For Feed Salone to endure, funding and implementation must outlive political cycles and survive changes in leadership.
Private Sector Partnership
The government must move beyond subsidy and rhetoric to foster private sector participation — through tax incentives, access to finance, and market-friendly reforms that make agriculture profitable for investors.
Behavioral and Cultural Change
Sierra Leoneans must begin to appreciate and consume locally produced food as a matter of pride, not just necessity. Food sovereignty requires a mindset shift — to value homegrown products over imported alternatives.
Accountability and Transparency: The Missing Links
As the initiative marks its second anniversary, transparency and data disclosure are critical. Citizens have the right to ask:
- How much has been invested so far in the Feed Salone program?
- What percentage of food consumed locally is now produced within Sierra Leone?
- How many farmers have directly benefited?
- What measurable impact has the initiative made on poverty reduction?
Without clear answers, claims of progress risk sounding like political poetry lofty words that fail to fill empty pots.
Feed Salone remains a symbol of hope and a test of leadership. Its promise is immense to transform Sierra Leone from dependency to self-reliance, from hunger to abundance. But the path to that promise is paved with policy, investment, and persistence.
The true measure of its success will not be in press statements or launch events, but in the kitchen pots of ordinary families when Sierra Leoneans can cook and eat their own rice affordably, when farmers earn a fair profit, and when agriculture becomes a source of national pride and prosperity.
Until then, the question remains open and the public, rightfully, must keep asking it.
Feed Salone must not become a slogan. It must become a system.
