Jannatu Farms Company Sierra Leone Limited, a youth-led agricultural enterprise, is set to harvest tonnes of cassava, rice, watermelon and sweet potato from their farms in Port Loko and Kambia Districts, Northwest region of Sierra Leone.

The project is focused on transforming Sierra Leone’s agrarian landscape through large-scale mechanised rice and cassava farming. The farm said their major goal is on food security, job creation, and value addition, that with the government’s Feed Salone Initiative to reduce import dependence, strengthen rural economies, and build resilient national food systems.

Jannatu Farms applies mechanised land preparation, improved seed varieties, and disciplined fertilizer regimes to substantially raise yields and ensure consistent, high-quality output. By scaling rice production, the company directly reduces reliance on imported rice and contributes to national food sovereignty. Simultaneously, cassava is grown and processed into Garri to capture value locally, stabilizing staple supplies and expanding the range of affordable, nutritious foods available to Sierra Leonean households.

Beyond cultivation, Jannatu Farms builds capacity across the entire value chain. The company invests in post-harvest handling, on-site cassava processing, and packaging to minimise losses and add economic value. Improved storage and handling practices increase shelf life and marketability, while local processing of cassava into Garri enables the capture of downstream margins that otherwise leave farming communities. These integrated systems create predictable supply for small and medium food vendors and improve market access for rural producers.

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As a youth-led enterprise, the company prioritises training and employment for young people. The business trains local farmers in modern agronomy and mechanization, and creates jobs in land preparation, planting, processing, and distribution. This approach not only reduces unemployment in rural districts but also transfers technical skills and entrepreneurial capacity to a new generation of agricultural workers and small-scale agribusiness operators.

Jannatu Farms currently manages a diversified portfolio of production sites; 150 acres of Rock 33 rice in Wonkifor Village, Bakiloko Chiefdom, Port Loko District; and 90 acres of cassava plus 1 acre each of sweet potatoes and watermelon in Mabain Village, Bamoi Luma, Kambia District. These holdings demonstrate a replicable model of mechanised cultivation coupled with local processing that can be scaled across other farming zones in Sierra Leone.

The company’s competitive advantages are its scale, mechanisation, and integrated processing. Mechanised operations lower per-unit costs and increase speed and reliability, while on-site value addition through Garri production retains profits locally. Combining modern technology with local expertise creates a scalable model that can be expanded to meet growing domestic demand, attract investment, and form the backbone of a national food network.

The comapny said they aim to be the center of an innovative national food network that enhances production, processing, and distribution of staple foods. The company intends to expand cultivated acreage, upgrade processing capacity, formalise training programs for youth, and deepen market linkages to create a resilient, locally driven agricultural economy that feeds Sierra Leone and powers rural prosperity.

They said that they the harvests could forge new partnerships that accelerate mechanisation, processing upgrades, technical agronomy support, and market expansion. Strategic investment and technical cooperation will amplify impact, create more rural jobs, and fast-track Sierra Leone’s path to self-sufficiency in staple foods.

With Sierra Leone’s GDP heavily reliant on agriculture, experts believe that a shift from subsistence farming to mechanised farming could be a game-changer in aiding the economy of the West African country.