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Skills and Agricultural Development Services

by Adam Welti

Creating alternatives to slash and burn agriculture is no easy task in a country trying to rebuild after nearly 15 years of civil war. Skills and Agricultural Development Services (SADS), a Monrovia-based non-governmental organization, is attempting to stimulate economic activity while preserving the biologically rich rainforests of the Upper Guinean tract of forests in northwest Liberia. Working to empower rural communities and build their capacity for change is the main goal of SADS.

Through a fellowship with The Advocacy Project in Washington, D.C., I was intrigued by the opportunity to partner with a local organization working with communities at the forefront of conservation, development and climate change issues. Spending a few weeks traveling to these communities in Lofa County gave me great insights into their lives and the challenges they face—attempting to provide food for their families on a daily basis while facing challenges of reduced rainfall, decreasing wildlife species and failing soils due to lack of nutrients.

Spending a summer in Liberia provided an incredibly intriguing glimpse of the great challenges faced by a country and people attempting to rebuild. While the war had devastating effects on everyone in Liberia, the hope and optimism with most everyone I met during my few months reiterated the need for cooperation and assistance to aid these communities to achieve a higher standard of living and a peaceful future.

Adam Welti On behalf of Skills and Agricultural Development Services

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