IPNEWS: Grand Bassa County Superintendent Karyou Johnson has sounded the alarm over the devastating impact of climate change on local farmers, warning that unpredictable rainfall and recurrent flooding are destroying rice farms and threatening Liberia’s food security.
Speaking at the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Türkiye, Johnson disclosed that nearly 80 percent of Grand Bassa’s population depends on agriculture for survival.
He revealed that changing rainfall patterns, delayed rainy seasons, and sudden heavy downpours are destroying lowland rice farms, particularly in Compound One, District #3, and District #4, leaving farmers uncertain about when and what to plant.
Johnson warned that declining agricultural productivity is worsening Liberia’s dependence on imported rice, while pushing young people away from farming and into alternative livelihoods in Buchanan.
To address the crisis, he called for urgent climate-smart agricultural interventions, drought-resistant crops, improved farming equipment, climate information services, and financial support for farmers, particularly women-led cooperatives.
He also appealed for the rehabilitation of 500 hectares of lowland rice farms in Neekreen and District #5, alongside improved storage facilities and the establishment of a Climate Information Center at Grand Bassa University.
Johnson stressed that protecting agriculture is critical to safeguarding livelihoods, strengthening food security, and securing the future of farming communities in Grand Bassa County.
