A look at Seeds4Liberia: a four-day training workshop that equipped small-scale farmers in the West African country with essential knowledge to support local coffee production.
BY DANIEL MURAGA
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Featured photo by Juliana Barquero
What to know:
- Alongside rubber and cocoa, coffee is one of Liberia’s primary agricultural exports; however, coffee production in the West African country has greatly declined over the years due to outdated farming methods
- Seeds4Liberia, a four-day event hosted in Suakoko, Bong County, Liberia, offered training workshops to small-scale coffee farmers to help revitalize Liberian coffee production
- Coffee production in Liberia centers around Coffea liberica, also known as Liberica coffee or Liberian coffee; Liberica is currently garnering attention in the international specialty-coffee market for its exceptional smoky, floral, and woody flavor profiles
When discussing Liberia, many people think of rubber, the country’s main cash crop and largest agricultural export. Others think of palm oil, cocoa, and timber. However, coffee has been, for decades, part of the country’s culture and a crucial contributor to citizens’ livelihoods.
Currently, the country is reviving its coffee by using some of the best agronomic practices, intercropping and agroforestry systems, and climate-smart coffee for sustainable coffee production. These strategies offer an avenue to bigger harvests, healthier soils, and increased incomes—all while strengthening resilience against the negative effects of climate change.
Like in other agricultural economies in Africa, small-scale farmers in Liberia have struggled to meet domestic needs and market demands for coffee, despite forming the backbone of the country’s economy. Once a major export commodity, coffee has greatly declined over the years due to outdated farming methods, lack of access to modern technologies, and limited agricultural extension services. However, experts believe the crop still holds huge potential if smallholder farmers were to be given the right support to propel the sector into a vehicle of sustainable and inclusive development.
It is against this context that the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) teamed up with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), for Seeds4Liberia: a project funded by the European Union (EU) that would offer a revolutionary four-day training workshop in Liberia.
Coffee farming in Liberia
Production of coffee in Liberia centers around Coffea liberica, a climate-resilient species of coffee intrinsic to the country’s equatorial rainforests. Commonly referred to as “Liberian coffee,” the species originally grew wild before cultivation started. In 1865, cultivation started, and a small-scale export to the US was established. By 1887, the crop had become a major export commodity. When leaf rust almost wiped Arabica coffee out of the face of the earth in the 1880s and 1890s, Liberica proved resistant and tough. For these reasons, it was shipped to the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the rest of Southeast Asia.
However, the species had large, asymmetrical beans, making harvesting and processing harder compared to Robusta. Despite this apparent success, Liberia changed its focus to Robusta. In the 1980s, Liberia’s coffee sector was ripe enough to get noticed. The country produced about 209,000 bags (60kg each) in 1985. This was before military coups damaged the infrastructure and made managed farms turn into wild coffee forests, with farmers shifting their focus to more manageable crops such as cocoa and rubber.
However, Liberica is currently getting new attention in the international specialty coffee market for its exceptional smoky, floral, and woody flavor profiles. Additionally, concerted efforts are in top gear to revive the coffee sector in the country.
The Seeds4Liberia Project
In a workshop dubbed “Good Agronomic Practices, Climate-Smart Coffee and Agroforestry Systems for Sustainable Coffee Production in Liberia,” Seeds4Africa offered a four-day training of trainers (ToT) in Suakoko, Bong County, in August 2025. About 30 agricultural extension officers and renowned farmers from five coffee counties attended the workshop to train through classroom sessions and participate in practical hands-on field demonstrations.
These participants were equipped with practical skills such as proper planting hole sizes, how to properly apply fertilizer and insecticide, best pruning techniques, understanding soil fertility management, and carrying out pest and disease control. They also learned about agroforestry practices like growing suitable trees alongside coffee and intercropping techniques such as mixing short-duration food crops such as cowpeas and soybeans to increase soil health and retention of moisture.
Dr. Ranjana Bhattacharjee, Senior Scientist at the IITA and one of Seeds4Liberia’s lead facilitators, underscored that the aim of the training was not just to equip technical skills but to build what she called a “multiplier effect.”
“Each participant is expected to train at least ten farmers in their county. This creates a chain reaction of knowledge transfer that ensures that impact spreads far beyond the workshop itself,” said Dr. Bhattacharjee.
Looking forward
The project highlighted the dire need for Liberia to improve its agricultural extension services to revive its coffee. International standard recommendations stipulate one agricultural extension officer for every 600 farmers. Liberia has a dangerous ratio—one agricultural extension officer serving about 35,000 farmers.
Noting that Liberia contributes less than 2% of the world’s coffee and youth participation remains minimal, the project laid bare the areas that need addressing.
“By making coffee farming more sustainable and integrated into agribusiness, the project hoped to attract young people while addressing productivity and deforestation challenges,” said Dr. Bhattacharjee.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Daniel Muraga (he/him) is a communications expert, researcher, writer, and editor based in Kenya with over 10 years of experience in the industry. His mission is to highlight Africa’s contributions to the realms of science, technology, innovation, culture, food, and related fields. He has done extensive research and written widely in the coffee niche for Sprudge Media, as well as in related areas for Life & Thyme and CQ Researcher, among others. When not writing, he is always outdoors communing with nature. You can find him on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.
Subscribe and More!
As always, you can enjoy your own copy of Barista Magazine by subscribing or ordering an issue. Long live physical media!
Support Barista Magazine and show your love with a Membership.
Signup for our weekly newsletter.
Join us at Camp Coffee Shop in Napa, California.
