In January 2025, the U. of I. partnered with Njala University in Sierra Leone to facilitate a training program for a team of students (Njala U and Illinois students) that also included field experience in the area of post-harvest loss prevention. We then harnessed energy from the newly trained YouthTeams to mobilize to communities to deliver videos and demonstrations.
The YouthTeams approach has shown improved awareness and adoption of new extension and outreach practices while building confidence, empathy, and empowerment in the university students.
Thirty-two Njala University students, faculty, and staff and 12 Illinois students participated in the training, specifically covering hermetic storage basics, PICS bags, extension principles, and pico projectors. Further, they were trained on how to conduct a 2.5 hour community extension event. After showing ADMI-developed PHL videos in the local language, the students learned how to facilitate discussions and teach and promote improved storage for grains and legumes.
The YouthTeams then deployed to 19 villages in Moyamba District, Sierra Leone reaching over 600 farmers with training and demonstrations of improved storage solutions. In each village, a PICS bag was left with a local farmer as part of a demonstration of improved hermetic storage for rice, maize, soya, groundnuts and other crops.
