ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the effects of the war on the agricultural sector, in which more than 60 per cent of the working people are employed. A mix of political, social, and economic factors within Sierra Leone caused the war. The root causes included widespread poverty, unemployment, low production and productivity, and inequity in access to the nation's resources, which led to pervasive disenchantment of Sierra Leoneans. Both afflictions became widespread as agricultural productivity stagnated and the population grew faster than agricultural production. On the Global Hunger Index (GHI) for 2010, Sierra Leone was among the six worst performers out of 84 countries. The Sierra Leone Produce Marketing Board (SLPMB) established by the government monopolized the agricultural marketing system for some time. After liberalization of the marketing system in 1988, small private operators assumed a major role in the marketing of locally produced and imported food commodities.
