Semeh G. Robert

Semeh Roberts is CEO of the Universal Farmers Association (UFA) in Liberia. The organization is building the capacity of its more than 15,000 farmers through workshops on sustainable land use, biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation and dividing them into farming groups to engage in mechanized farming with an eye toward making Liberia food secure by 2030. Despite strong natural resources, Liberia has no record of feeding itself. The country imports $200M US worth of rice annually, but it’s not enough to feed the population. In support of UFA’s development goal, UNDP and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) are providing support, comprising farming tools, training, cash grants, etc. and they’ve cleared 1500 acres in separate locations. This year they are growing cassava, oil palm, plantain, pepper, garden eggs, watermelon and working on honey bee domestication with support from the Associated Women of the World (ACWW), based in the UK.