By: Mamajah Jalloh
The Government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), has opened this year’s District Nutrition Fair in Moyamba District to promote nutritious, locally produced and culturally appropriate diets.
The fair was officially opened on Friday, September 25, 2026, at the MAFS office in Moyamba by the Ministry’s Deputy Minister, Dr. Isata Kamanda, under the theme: “Demonstrating Nutrient-Dense, Culturally Appropriate Food Recipes for Sustainable Community Health and Food Security.”
The event brought together farmers from various communities across the district and was organised by the Women in Agriculture and Nutrition Unit under the Ministry’s Extension Directorate.
Speaking at the opening, Dr. Kamanda described the fair as a community-level activation of the Ministry’s mandate to promote safe, nutritious and culturally appropriate food.
She said the initiative translates the National Nutrition Policy into practical, household-level cooking demonstrations, emphasizing that nutrition improvement begins at the household level.
“Nutrition improvement begins at home, one household, one recipe, one meal at a time,” she said.
Dr. Kamanda noted that Feed Salone, under the leadership of President Julius Maada Bio, serves as the national roadmap for food sovereignty and agricultural transformation.
She added that nutrition is a key component of Feed Salone, with a focus on reducing malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, particularly among children under five.
Providing the background to the fair, the Head of the Women in Agriculture and Nutrition Unit, Mariama Turay, said the initiative is designed to promote local food-based strategies to combat malnutrition, showcase indigenous agricultural biodiversity and strengthen market-led pathways towards healthy diets in Sierra Leone.
She encouraged participants to “grow what they eat and eat the nutritious food they grow.”
The event concluded with a tour of the fair by the Deputy Minister and other Ministry officials. Similar nutrition fairs are expected to be held in other districts in the coming days.