In Liberia, fighters become farmers

by Rob Deere and Richard Moyes

Landmine Action’s Tumutu Agricultural Training Programme (TATP) began in February 2008 in Salala District, Liberia – and the project has nothing to do with landmines.  Instead it provides training, rehabilitation and reintegration for groups of ex-combatants that did not take part in Liberia’s official DDR process.

The project training centre is located in a 500-acre farm that belongs to the Liberian Rubber Development Authority. The farm had fallen into disrepair, it had been occupied by several fighting factions and was being used a camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP).

The site has since renovated by  Landmine Action (LMA) and 400 ex-combatants attend courses as students. The courses are made up of a five-month training phase in rice production, vegetable production, animal husbandry and rubber culture; courses include produce storage techniques.  It is a predominantly practical curriculum - supported by classroom-based sessions.

We teach village technology construction, literacy and numeracy skills necessary in the agriculture business, as well as malaria prevention, sexual health and social skills. The agricultural skills taught intend to produce short, medium and longer term financial returns.

Ex-combatants receive intensive psycho-social counselling in order to prepare them for social reintegration.  As part of their preparation trainees join management committees and help run the farm.

The first course was completed September of 2008, and the 357 of the 370 students who graduated received certificates from the Ministry of Agriculture. 

One of the key differences between this initiative and other DDR programmes has been the attention paid to the integration and reintegration of the trainees after training.  The reintegration of each student has been carefully planned, their expectations managed and communities prepared for their arrival. Prior to completing the course, each student agrees to an individually tailored reintegration plan that details the community they will relocate to, their agricultural goals, and the content of their reintegration package.

After graduating each beneficiary heads to their chosen community.  They are provided with sufficient tools and materials to allow them to prepare and clear areas required for crop production or to build animal pens.  The reintegration package may also include seeds, animals, fertilisers, tools etc., as required to undertake activities of their choice. A few weeks after graduation, LMA field teams visit each beneficiary to assess their progress and provide technical and moral support. 

The project training centre farm will eventually be self-sustaining.  LMA is currently producing a business plan that will detail how much produce the site can yield and how this measures up against the sustainability objectives. 

The LMA and the Ministry of Agriculture are planning to replicate this model in other parts of the country.  A second training centre is planned in Sinoe County to address tensions in that area, as well as the lack of agricultural capacity in the South-East of Liberia.  By bringing these neglected ex-combatant populations into productive economic activities, integrated with wider communities, not just former fighting groups, this project is working to prevent people from returning to armed violence in a country just becoming accustomed to peace.

 * Rob Deere is Operations Director  and Richard Moyes Policy & Research Director Landmine Action

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