Life isn’t easy in Sierra Leone. Despite significant natural resources, we regularly rank as one of the poorest countries on the planet and stand to bear the brunt of extreme weather and climate change. Only 29 percent of the country has access to electricity, national infrastructure is still recovering from a brutal civil war in the late 90s and early 2000s, and the majority of working age Sierra Leoneans are engaged in, and depend on, subsistence agriculture, demonstrating the importance of advancing disability inclusion in agricultural philanthropy.

As if these challenges were not enough, much of our large-scale farming also relies on imported fertiliser from overseas. Like with gas and oil, fertiliser prices are spiralling at the time of writing, and we’re all feeling the squeeze. One community, however, is affected by these challenges disproportionately, and that’s those living with a physical disability.

Exacerbated by the civil war, which alone is estimated to have created almost 30,000 amputee victims, conservative calculations suggest Sierra Leone could have as many as 500,000 people living with a physical disability among a population of just under 9 million.

Historically, this community has been left with limited support from the state, few work opportunities, and very little dignity. Moreover, they face limited opportunities to farm their own food—a devastating economic (and dietary) disadvantage given how important subsistence agriculture is to nutrition and livelihoods in our country.

Centering Inclusive Development

Against this backdrop, I founded Farming on Crutches in 2020, and since its establishment, I have seen first-hand just how beneficial it can be to put disability at the centre—not the margins—of regeneration and development.

Our partners, all of whom are amputees, each have incredible personal stories, and in learning to farm sustainably—in a way that builds local climate resilience and enhances food security—they also boost local economic outcomes, help the wider community embrace simple, affordable, and accessible regenerative agriculture, and work without chemicals, and without debt.

It’s a cascading model that those in the philanthropic sector could learn from, and the good news is, the lessons themselves are simple.

Read the full article about disability inclusion in agricultural philanthropy by Mambud Samai at Alliance Magazine.