In Magburaka, a giant agricultural education fair was organized by the UNPD, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the SL Ministry of Agriculture Forestry & Food Security, along with a number of local NGOs and community groups.
President Ernest Bai Komora was the keynote speaker, which brought a heavy military presence and caused a lot of gridlock on the road leading to the packed field.
A myriad organizations who work on educating farmers about crop diversification, insect control, and the nutritional values of different staples filled the stalls. The slogan on the back of the FAO staff t-shirts said: “food security means agriculture commercialization.” The SL Farmers Cooperative Union was explaining the benefits of growing multiple crops to anyone who would listen. At the Bennimix table, a woman was showing how to dilute the potent grain concoction with boiling water. The brownish mix provides infants with essential nutrients until they are able to eat solids.
A traditional medicine specialist was showing off his colourful potions and dispensing advice on how to help the body break down the very rich palm oil used in cooking. It involved buying his elixir, but he hadn’t brought any to sell because this event was not about profit. But unfortunately, on this day, millions of people in SL went to bed hungry. Again.
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