Green Diamonds

Our Green Diamonds campaign is part of our larger “Growing at the Grassroots” project. Alluvial diamond mining sites are being actively restored for agricultural use to support sustainable livelihoods for local communities.

The goal of Growing at the Grassroots is to support organic agriculture as a viable, sustainable livelihood in Kono through a cooperative approach, and thereby increase food security for rural people. We are working with four farmers groups, primarily women, providing training and inputs for organic agriculture. The project will coordinate the groups into a co-operative which will provide a sustainable business model based on collaboration. Most farmers in Sierra Leone are subsistence and have no equity or savings to purchase needed inputs. This approach is effective as increased cooperation will facilitate increased access to markets and promote the sharing of ideas and techniques that individual groups are piloting. To further promote agriculture as a sustainable livelihood and to address the environmental impacts of mining and slash and burn agriculture, abandoned diamond mining sites will be restored for agricultural use through active community participation. Lastly, this project will include environmental education and awareness programs to try to mitigate the future impact of mining on valuable agricultural lands and freshwater, and improve conservation in Kono.

For an update on our mining restoration plan and to see photos of the site, please download the Mining_Reclamation_Report.pdf.

For more information on our Green Diamonds campaign, visit: http://www.onesky.ca/diamonds