[{"bbox": [87, 153, 402, 183], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 1.2 Summary of the Action"}, {"bbox": [97, 199, 1134, 279], "category": "Text", "text": "This Action is the first in a series contributing to transformative impact targeted under the Team Europe initiative 'Safe and sustainable food systems' (TEI SSFSs). It ties in with all priority areas of the MIP for Liberia, fully aligns with SDG 2, End hunger, and will contribute to SDGs 17, 8, 13, 14, 15, 5, 10 and 16."}, {"bbox": [97, 291, 1134, 503], "category": "Text", "text": "Its overall objective (impact) is **to boost safe and sustainable food systems growth for enhanced food and nutrition security**. To achieve this objective, the Action will build on the EU's ongoing investments in Liberia's food systems while emphasising a clear paradigm shift from a one-size-fits-all to a needs-based value chain approach. The Action projects that, **if** improving governance is prioritised with a knowledge-based approach, **if** the linkages in the food systems value chains are activated with a strong focus on healthy, nutritious and affordable diets as well as service development and business attitude, and **if** innovation is supported through ecosystem- and climate-smart activities inclusive of women and youth, **then** food systems in Liberia will grow in a safe and sustainable manner. The food and nutrition security in Liberia will **therefore** be improved."}, {"bbox": [97, 515, 1134, 648], "category": "Text", "text": "The Action will seek to support public entities (duty-bearers) with key mandates in food systems development, notably the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA) and the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), along with private sector partners, notably micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), to improve their service delivery on a sustainable basis, and interact with organisations representing the diverse right-holders' voices in all 15 counties of Liberia."}, {"bbox": [97, 660, 1134, 794], "category": "Text", "text": "The Action will contain interventions focusing on soil and water resources suitability mapping, seed production and certification, as well as food safety (serving domestic and export markets). Natural resources (incl. climate) concerns are thus directly addressed, while gender and youth as well as tertiary education considerations will be integrated in thematic and technical assistance programmes implemented through service procurement (technical assistance) and grants (under direct and indirect management)."}, {"bbox": [97, 805, 1134, 965], "category": "Text", "text": "The Action will also contribute to the realisation of the EU Gender Action Plan 2021-2025 (GAP III)³, notably to its thematic areas of engagement 'Strengthening economic social rights and empowering girls and women' and 'Addressing the challenges and harnessing the opportunities offered by the green transition'. It will also provide opportunities to deliver on the EU's ambitions under its Youth Action Plan 2022-27⁴, particularly under its 'Partnership to empower' and 'Partnership to connect' objectives, which touch upon education and access to economic opportunities."}, {"bbox": [85, 1006, 322, 1037], "category": "Section-header", "text": "# 2 RATIONALE"}, {"bbox": [85, 1071, 233, 1098], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2.1 Context"}, {"bbox": [97, 1118, 1134, 1409], "category": "Text", "text": "Liberia is a least developed country in the Gulf of Guinea with a fragile economy and a weak governance structure. In the last 20 years, it has experienced a number of shocks (civil war, Ebola, COVID-19) which have further eroded the ability of the central Government to deliver services to its people. In addition, poor governance is adding to the fragility of the central Government, which has a severe lack of capacity to develop and implement policies. The economy is based on a limited number of commodities either through extraction (iron, gold) or plantations (rubber, palm oil) and therefore subject to extreme shocks on the international markets. Poor economic governance at the start of the current administration resulted in high inflation and the Government was forced to ask the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for support. Since the signature of the programme with the IMF in late 2019, there are signs of a more stable macroeconomic environment. This is partly due to rising commodity prices, already before, but accelerating with Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which will increase the, at this stage positive, impact for the Liberian economy."}, {"bbox": [97, 1421, 1134, 1528], "category": "Text", "text": "The Government is heavily dependent on the support of Development Partners (DPs). Programmes funded by DPs often step in where the Government fails in its service delivery to the population. This is an unfortunate circumstance that was triggered by the civil war and cannot be abandoned in the short run without severe impact on the already precarious situation of the majority of the population and the social fabric of Liberia."}, {"bbox": [85, 1597, 285, 1621], "category": "Footnote", "text": "³ SWD(2020) 284 final."}, {"bbox": [85, 1621, 269, 1644], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁴ JOIN(2022) 53 final."}, {"bbox": [1038, 1681, 1143, 1705], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 4 of 28"}]