While Others Study Theory… Our Students Are Running Real Ventures, Putting Theories To Practice And Testing the Market
Changemaker Dekontee Flomo, Our Club President, Liberia International Christian College, Pod Leader Harvest Harmony Pod "Building systems. Creating opportunities. Transforming communities from within.
Through the Roots Africa Changemakers Program, Dekontee Flomo is leading a powerful initiative called Harvest Harmony Pod, a community-based agricultural training team focused on empowering young people and farmers in rural Liberia.
Her vision is clear:
To build a network of skilled, resilient farmers and students who can contribute meaningfully to food security and economic growth within their communities from Farm to Table, leveraging the abundant natural resources season to season.
Community Impact
In Nimba County, Harvest Harmony Pod is already making a difference.
Over 50 students and 20 farmers were trained and engaged in juice making
Hands-on training in value addition, packaging, and Marketing.
Linkages to local markets and cooperatives, with support from the team.
As a result, participants are:
Increasing their household income
Improving food security
Reduce Waste
Starting small agricultural businesses
Create economic activity, empower young people
Inspire Young people to become entrepreneurs.
What Drives the Work
Dekontee’s journey began close to home.
“I was inspired after seeing the challenges faced by my family and neighbours in rural Liberia… I wanted to help them break the cycle of poverty by providing knowledge and tools. I thought to myself, there must be a way to produce more on the farm we have. There must be a way to add value and increase our income. There must be away to store and sell during scarcity. I saw farming as the line between life and death with zero barrier of entry.”
For Dekontee, agriculture is not just farming; it is a pathway to dignity, opportunity, and transformation. She, of all, understands what this means as a student club president and as a woman focused on empowering other women to build enterprises.
A Lesson That Changed Everything
One lesson stands out:
“The power of collaboration. When we work together, we create solutions that last.”
Beyond training, Dekontee is focused on building systems that enable communities to lead and sustain their own progress. And she is doing this by training her classmates, friends, and family, and expanding her venture through human capital investment and standardizing her unique procedure for quality and standards.
What Community Ownership Means
“Community ownership means the people most affected are the ones who lead and benefit.”
For Dekontee, this means:
farmers involved in decision-making
solutions built around real needs
pride and responsibility within the community
Because when people own the process, they sustain the outcome
Looking Ahead
Over the next 2–3 years, Dekontee aims to:
Expand Harvest Harmony to reach more communities
Strengthen connections between farmers and buyers
Partner with schools to teach value addition and food systems
Build a self-sustaining agricultural network
A Moment That Matters
One moment continues to define the impact:
A young entrepreneur shared that she was able to pay her school fees through income generated from the value addition training.
A simple outcome. A powerful reminder.
Advice to Future Changemakers
“Start small, stay persistent, and listen to your community. Agriculture is not just about crops, it’s about people.”
A Personal Note
Guess what Dekontee’s favorite drink to make is? Bissap, yes, you read that right. Bissap (Zobo), the Red wine-like refreshing beverage we make from dried hibiscus flowers (Hibiscus sabdariffa) all across the continent.
A simple reminder that even in transformation, culture and everyday joys remain at the heart of community life, with the familiar, with the most abundant natural resource.
This is what changemakers look like on the go! Always on the move, supporting farming communities and ensuring they are up to date with recent practices.
What We Are Building
As we begin the month of May, our direction remains clear.
We continue to shift from programs to ownership.
From implementation to enabling founders.
From short-term wins to community-led systems that last.
If you are new here, welcome.
If you have been with us, thank you for believing that agriculture can become an enterprise and that youth can lead lasting change.
We're proud of you Dekontee
Great and inspiring story! Thanks Cedric for sharing. Let’s reconnect!