Prisoners Cultivate 380 Acres of Farmland in Mafanta
Aminata Koroma The Sierra Leone Correctional Services (SLCS) has cultivated 380 acres of farmland at the Mafanta Correctional Centre in Magburaka as part of efforts to promote institutional self-sufficiency under the Government’s Feed Salone initiative.
The initiative aligns with President Julius Maada Bio’s vision behind the Feed Salone programme, launched three years ago, which seeks to strengthen local food production and encourage public institutions to produce food for their own consumption.
Under the policy championed by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Henry Musa Kpaka, institutions are encouraged to become self-sufficient in food production rather than depend entirely on external supplies.
The impact of the policy is increasingly evident across several institutions. Homegrown school feeding currently accounts for approximately 40 per cent of the rice procured by the World Food Programme (WFP), while cooking oil and beans are also being produced locally.
Similarly, the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces cultivated close to 5,000 acres of rice, maize and other crops this year to support national food production.
The Correctional Services’ cultivation of 380 acres at Mafanta Correctional Centre also highlights the role inmates can play in contributing to national development through agricultural activities.
The initiative further reflects the rehabilitative purpose of correctional facilities, as inmates are engaged in farming activities and receive practical agricultural training during the process.
According to the initiative, the skills acquired by inmates could help them become productive members of society and contribute to national development after completing their sentences.
The programme therefore seeks not only to strengthen food security and institutional self-reliance but also to promote the rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates through productive agricultural activities.