[{"bbox": [85, 153, 340, 184], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2.2 Problem Analysis"}, {"bbox": [96, 200, 327, 227], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### Short problem analysis"}, {"bbox": [96, 238, 1134, 291], "category": "Text", "text": "Through this Action, the EU addresses gaps that are consistent across Liberia's food systems/value chains in a national context that is not conducive to business development and highly vulnerable to climate change."}, {"bbox": [96, 303, 1134, 490], "category": "Text", "text": "For its food provision, Liberia is heavily import-dependent: the most recent comprehensive household income and expenditure survey indicated that about 82% of all food consumed was not produced domestically¹⁰, while Liberia imported 65% of its main staple (rice)¹¹ – confirmed by more recent assessments according to which imports account for more than half of Liberia's total cereal requirements¹². Agriculture and fisheries have contributed around 30% to real GDP (mostly from the rubber sector) in recent years¹³; low levels of sector outputs still indicate the prevalence of subsistence farming in Liberia. The average household sources 81% of its food from local markets, with just 11% coming from own production¹⁴."}, {"bbox": [96, 501, 1134, 662], "category": "Text", "text": "Further, about half of the population lives below the poverty line and faces regular food shortages. Nearly one in three children under five are stunted and more than two in three children as well as almost one in two women suffer from anaemia¹⁵. Malnutrition is related to the high number of adolescent pregnancies, and is also directly associated with wealth inequalities, poor water and sanitation practices and inadequate diets. Only 3% of children aged 6-23 months were fed a minimum acceptable diet. Furthermore, there is an increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity amongst women, indicative of a poor diet – also reflected in low protein intake¹⁶."}, {"bbox": [96, 673, 1134, 910], "category": "Text", "text": "Almost 80% of Liberians are younger than 35. About four fifths of Liberians earn a living in the informal sector. Liberia ranks 78th out of 146 countries in the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap report 2022¹⁷; additional efforts on gender equality are needed, notably in the economic participation sphere. Even though women's employment in agriculture has decreased over the past decade, their participation has decreased at a slower pace than that of men¹⁸, resulting in women still contributing the majority of the labour, marketing and trading as well as food crop production force in the agriculture sector. More than 80% of women in agriculture are self-employed or employed by a family member, and 57% are not paid for their work, thus engaged in vulnerable employment¹⁹. Across the economy, inequalities persist, and women's work is mainly concentrated in the informal economy, where their share reaches 74%²⁰."}, {"bbox": [96, 923, 1134, 1030], "category": "Text", "text": "Liberia aims to become a middle-income country by 2030 through inclusive and sustainable growth, while pursuing the attainment of the SDGs (Vision 2030)²¹. The Government, within the framework of its PAPD Pillar Two on ‘Economy & Jobs’, sees an opportunity to create employment from agriculture and fisheries by ensuring that food production systems are resilient and sustainable."}, {"bbox": [96, 1042, 1134, 1123], "category": "Text", "text": "In formulating different generations of the Liberia Agricultural Sector Investment Plan (LASIP), MoA has led the process of outlining priorities for the sectors concerned in accordance with the global, continental and regional (agricultural) development agendas²². Nevertheless, despite the alignment processes that are in place, there is"}, {"bbox": [85, 1162, 1134, 1188], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁰ as share to total household food consumption expenditure; Liberia Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2016"}, {"bbox": [85, 1188, 660, 1212], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹¹ Comprehensive Food Security and Nutrition Survey, 2018, Liberia"}, {"bbox": [85, 1212, 744, 1237], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹² GIEWS - Global Information and Early Warning System, Liberia, May 2021"}, {"bbox": [85, 1237, 478, 1260], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹³ Central Bank of Liberia Annual Report 2021"}, {"bbox": [85, 1260, 1144, 1308], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁴ Comprehensive Food Security and Nutrition Survey, 2018, Liberia. More recent, yet less comprehensive, data indicate 74% reliance on markets, 21% on own production and 5% on other sources (unpublished MoA-WFP rapid FS assessment, Oct 2020)."}, {"bbox": [85, 1308, 526, 1332], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁵ Liberia Demographic & Health Survey 2019-2020"}, {"bbox": [85, 1332, 1144, 1477], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁶ In 2021, 27.6% and 27.3% of rural and urban respondents, respectively, reported no consumption of either high-protein foods or vitamin A-rich foods (e.g. eggs, dairy), and only 4.6% and 7.9% reported daily consumption of both groups (unpublished Liberian Food Security and Post-Harvest Snapshot Assessment, Spring 2021). As an illustration, fish consumption in Liberia was around 5 kg fish/person and year, compared to close to 15 kg in the ECOWAS region, and more than 20 kg globally (all 2017 data/estimates) (Statistical Factsheets of the ECOWAS Member countries, Jan 2020). Only 26% of households own livestock (unpublished MoA-WFP rapid FS assessment, Oct 2020)."}, {"bbox": [85, 1477, 580, 1502], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁷ https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2022.pdf"}, {"bbox": [85, 1502, 733, 1525], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁸ UN Women, 2021. Liberia, Country Gender Equality Profile, August 2021."}, {"bbox": [85, 1525, 733, 1549], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁹ UN Women, 2021. Liberia, Country Gender Equality Profile, August 2021."}, {"bbox": [85, 1549, 1144, 1574], "category": "Footnote", "text": "²⁰ Council on Foreign Relations (2021). Liberia's significant strides on women's rights have not translated to workplace equality."}, {"bbox": [85, 1574, 275, 1597], "category": "Footnote", "text": "²¹ Liberia Vision 2030"}, {"bbox": [85, 1597, 1144, 1647], "category": "Footnote", "text": "²² LASIP II (2018-2022) still to be formally endorsed by Cabinet, yet in line with the AU's Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, Africa's policy framework for agricultural transformation (CAADP; Assembly/AU/Decl.7 (II)))"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1681, 1144, 1705], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 6 of 28"}]