Mandate
The Agricultural Engineering Division has the mandate to create an enabling environment to increase agricultural production and productivity through the judicious use of land and water resources and farm machinery, and to monitor and supervise rural infrastructure such as feeder roads and community structures/buildings.
Structure
To better align the activities of the division to the National Sustainable Agricultural Development Plan, the Land & Water Development Division (LWDD) was transformed to the current Agricultural Engineering Division (AED).
The Agricultural Engineering Division is comprised of three main units, namely:
" Land planning, development and irrigation;
" Farm machinery; and
" Rural infrastructure (farm building and feeder roads)
Development Plan
The Division is currently implementing a plan for the development and management of inland valley swamps (IVS) and other land resources. Its objective is to ensure that IVS is developed and managed for the short-, medium- and long-term promotion of agricultural production and productivity.
" The short-term development plan focuses on the rehabilitation of existing IVS sites across Sierra Leone. It is intended that over 30,000 hectares would be rehabilitated by projects implements by MAFFS, its partners (NGOs, CBSs, IVS informal groups and individuals) and the private sector.
" Medium-term development plans see the development / expansion of new swamps across the country, potentially covering over 50,000 hectares.
" The long-term development plan involves the investment in medium- and large-scale irrigation schemes such as Komrabai Mamilla, Rhombe, Rolako, Torma Bum, and Gbondapi. Over 20,000 hectares would potentially be developed and fully irrigated in the next 5-10 years through the supports of donors and development partners.