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An FAO crop assessment mission to the southwest, southern and eastern regions of Sierra Leone in December 1999 found that the agricultural sector had been extensively disrupted by war.
Over the years, farmers have lost all their productive resources including seeds, tools and other capital assets. There has been large scale destruction of infrastructure and rural institutions, GIEWS said.
As most rural farm families were displaced, availability of labour for planting and harvesting remains a major constraint and the farmers' capacity to retain stocks is low due to financial difficulties and the fear of looting. Nearly all farmers are dependent on government and NGOs for the supply of seeds and the planting of these seeds is dependent upon
the capacity of these agencies to help them.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions