An 80 Year Opportunity
A coconut tree can bear fruit for roughly 80 years, long enough to support three generations of a farming family. Plant the Future is Universal Outreach Foundation’s phased initiative to build a lasting coconut economy in Maryland County, Liberia.
Working with up to 400 farming families, the project will establish 18,000 farmer-owned coconut trees and create a dependable market for every harvest.
25,000
Farmer Owned
Coconut Trees
80
Years of Income
9,600
People impacted over 3 generations
The Need
The initiative will take place in Maryland County. Liberia, West Africa.
Nearly half of the county’s population is multidimensionally poor, meaning families face overlapping challenges involving income, education, health and basic living conditions. More than 46% of Maryland’s agricultural household heads have never attended school, limiting their access to formal employment and modern agricultural practices. (Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services: Poverty Report, Agriculture Report).
At the same time, Maryland has something of real economic value: their soil and climate are well suited to growing coconuts. Liberia’s Ministry of Agriculture has identified coconut as a crop with the potential to become a major source of income in the region. All coconut trees will be planted in existing grasslands and no deforestation will occur.
A Phased Approach
The first phase focuses on growing the plantation, strengthening the farmer organization and selling raw coconuts into the existing West African market. This allows the agricultural model and sales network to be proven before making the larger investment in a processing factory.
Once the required agricultural, market, legal and funding conditions are in place, the second phase will add local processing. The factory will produce organic virgin coconut oil and desiccated coconut for higher-value export markets.
From Farm to Market
The value created at each stage—from growing and harvesting to processing and sales—will remain connected to Liberia’s economy.
Farmer Owned Trees
Farmers will grow coconut trees
on their own land.
Training and Intercropping
Farmers will learn organic growing methods and plant food crops between young coconut trees.
Reliable Purchasing
The project will establish a dependable buyer for the coconuts farmers produce.
A Needed Product
A Maryland County factory will produce virgin coconut oil and desiccated coconut for export.
Overview of Impact:
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400 farming families directly engaged
-
25,000 farmer-owned coconut trees
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3,200 people reached in the first generation
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9,600 people potentially reached across three generations
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$1,011,485 CAD in projected farmer income during the first 10 years
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80% of Liberia Foods Inc.’s profit reserved for community development in Liberia
Planting is already underway, with 10,000 seedlings brought in from Ghana. Each tree represents a productive asset that can generate income for decades while helping build a stronger local economy.
A smaller donation can help establish nurseries, provide seedlings or train participating farmers. Larger gifts can fund certification, equipment, vehicles, factory construction and the operating capital needed to bring the business into production.
Each contribution becomes part of the same system: trees owned by farmers, a factory operating in Maryland County and a market capable of purchasing what those farmers grow.
There is a Place for Every Donor
$45
Plant 3 coconut trees
$100
Train a farmer in organic planting methods
$250
Contribute to a community nursery
$750
Plant 50 coconut trees
$1,000
Contribute to organic certification
$5,000
Contribute to a capital cost piece of equipment
The framework for Plant the Future is in place. Founding donors now have a rare opportunity to help shape its early development and establish a project designed to serve farming families for generations.
The complete project brief provides the five-year budget, financial projections, ownership and governance structure, organic certification plan and expected benefits for farming families.