Avocado Dreams and Tangerine Skies
A community orchard takes root in Liberia.
Jan 14, 2025 | By: Kieran McConville
In rural Grand Bassa County a piece of marginal land is being transformed into what we hope will be both an amenity and a source of produce for the local community.
Across the soccer pitch from the local church in the rural Liberian village of Borglay, a two-acre patch of land is being carefully prepared for a new agroforestry project, under the watchful supervision of Concern’s James Kerkula. “This land had previously been used by the community to plant cassava, but I think they’re enthusiastic about the new plan.”
That plan is to create an orchard. “We have had many meetings with the local farmers and put a lot of collective thought into the design and the mixture of different trees that will be cultivated. There will be orange, avocado, tangerine, cashew, grapefruit, golden plum, German plum and local plum.” Pineapple plants that have already been set at carefully measured intervals and will soon be producing fruit. The rest of the trees will require a longer lead-in time before they start to be productive. James holds up one of a batch of young trees that has just been delivered from a nursery by the Concern truck. “It will take up to four years for these orange trees to mature, so it’s a reasonably long-term investment. But we believe it will be worth it.”
Because of the vagaries of weather and climate, the community is using conservation agriculture techniques such as mulching to preserve moisture during the dry season and provide natural fertilizer for the saplings. In the initial stages the future orchard will require regular watering from the nearby borehole, which for now will be carried out by a group of smallholder farmers and members of the local mother’s group. It’s hoped to install a dedicated water supply in the medium term. All are participants in Concern’s LIFE program, which is funded by Irish Aid and is intended to help improve nutrition and food security for selected communities across Grand Bassa and Rivercess counties in Liberia.
So why put all this time and effort into planting an orchard? “There will be multiple benefits,” according to James Kerkula. “Obviously, it will be a source of food and nutrition, complementary to the staple crops that the farmers are growing. We have been working with the Mothers Group to explore the value of a diverse diet to help prevent undernutrition and malnutrition, especially for growing children. Some of them already have orange trees in their backyard gardens. These trees, when they grow, will also help anchor the soil and protect it from erosion, as well as providing shade and shelter for people in the community.”
Nayou Guah stops by on her way to a wedding at the nearby church, looking elegant and chic in a sunflower themed dress. She is a member of the Mothers Group and an enthusiastic supporter of the community orchard. “My kids love oranges!” she says, “and this will be somewhere shady for them to gather during the hot season.” Nayou says she hopes to increase her family's income through the project, to help with school fees for her kids.
It’s intended that the orchard will serve as a demonstration plot for other communities to learn new techniques and as a source of seed multiplication. In addition to the training and tree saplings, Concern has also supplied the community with a variety of tools, including shovels, hoes, watering cans, and wheelbarrows.
