The agriculture ministers of Liberia and Sierra Leone say the ebola outbreak in western Africa is “exacerbating hunger and wrecking any plans to revitalize the region’s farm production,” says DTN from the World Food Prize symposium in Iowa. Says DTN, “the region is beginning to face a major food crisis because of abandoned farms, isolation of villages and cutting off of regional trade. It’s a growing challenge because the region relies heavily on smallholder farmers who make up two-thirds to 80% of the population in some of those countries.”
Liberia is trying to rebuild its economy after three decades of civil war. Agricultural investment in Sierra Leone also has come to a halt. Ebola struck mainly in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.