By: Abdul Martins Foday Amara in Kenema
To support President Julius Maada Bio's ‘Feed Salone’ initiative, Hassan Sheriff, the Production Manager of Kamboi Agriculture Radio, and his media colleague Yayah K. Brima decided to engage in large-scale Inland Valley Swamp Farming in Kenema. This was honored by starting the venture with the cultivation of a large area of swamp, about 8-10 hectares, fully financed by them.
Speaking to AIMNet Newspaper, Hassan Sheriff stated that they were delighted to engage in such activity because agriculture is the backbone of the development of any nation. He noted that food, medicine, and shelter are the basic things life can’t function without.
“I have decided to partner with my brother because we want to set a perfect example for others to emulate. Journalists amplify the voices of the masses and thus keep duty-bearers on their toes. It is, therefore, prudent to sometimes implement what we preach”, said Hassan.
Yayah K Brima, on the other hand, confirmed that what they’ve started would be a continuous process with much expansion in the future when there are resources. “We are going to take farming as a profession from this point. All we seek is support in any way possible so that we can positively contribute to the development of this nation in our ways,” he said.
"One cannot expect people to do what they cannot do for themselves. The media should be able to do whatever you want others to do for national development. Journalists speak for the people; they talk about many things they want to see done in their communities. So, they must be the very example. We wanted to do more, but for limited resources, we started with 10 acres, and hopefully, next season, we will do more. It was self-financed. We are calling on the government through the Ministry of Agriculture and other partners to give us and other farmer organizations more support to succeed", he concluded.
It could be recalled that before the pronouncement of President Bio in his second term of office, he promised the people of this country that he would concentrate on Agriculture. Thus, he titled his second-term campaign Manifesto the Big Five Game Changer, with Feed Salone taking the lead. Sierra Leoneans have long been doing subsistence farming on a hand-to-mouth basis. Some community members commented that if other people could unite and do the same, the country would have a better chance to drive poverty swiftly.
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