The agriculture sector, including community value chains such as cocoa, oil palm, rubber and the forestry sector (especially timber value chain), contribute significantly to economic growth and development in Liberia. These sectors will face many challenges in the coming years as the land suitable for cultivation continues to decline, due to the large areas of land which have been appropriated by concessions, deforestation, land conflicts, and climate change, amongst others. The ability to cope with these challenges in the midst of rapidly rising demands for cocoa, oil palm, rubber and timber products by consumers will require the inclusion of everyone – men, women and youth – along the value chains in order to avoid destruction of forests. According to the International Finance Corporation (IFC) (2019)1, one of the main
solutions to coping with these challenges in a sustainable manner is to improve women’s access to assets, including land, to enable them to fully participate in all aspects of agriculture and forestry value chains. Women should also have equal access to and control of land and other related natural resources.