Imported Rice and Agricultural Labor Markets in Liberia

Grand Gedeh County is one of the counties that is most affected by food insecurity, with 42% of the population being food insecure according to the last food security and nutrition survey carried out by WFP, UNICEF and the MOA1. This County sees also very high stunting rate (43,4% of the population).

Since early March, refugees fleeing fighting and instability in Ivory Coast have been crossing the border and have become concentrated along the border and the main road in Grand Gedeh county, reaching the figure of 57,0002 in this county.
An increasing number of villages are being affected by the influx, their current resources are already limited and the presence of thousands of refugees has affected the self-sufficiency of the community. Food and seed stocks are being depleted, meaning that without assistance many famers will not be able to plant in time for the next harvest. Food assistance to date has not been sufficient to meet the needs of refugees and little has been done to address the shortages faced by host communities.
Faced with the prospect of growing food insecurity, Oxfam GB decided to undertake a market assessment in northern Grand Gedeh to define the most appropriate response and modalities to address emergency needs. Taking into account existing market-system capabilities, Oxfam GB assessed the viability of innovative programmes targeting refugees and host communities, such as cash-based interventions, local procurement and other forms of support to market actors (e.g. traders).
The Oxfam team prioritized the assessment of rice and agricultural labor markets as these play a key role in people’s capacity either to buy or produce food.