Buchanan, Grand Bassa County – As Grand Bassa County Community College seeks to upgrade its sustainability approach, residents of Teepehneh Town in District Two have agreed to support by providing 200 acres of farmland for the college’s agriculture project.
The land is expected to be used for agriculture purpose, which proceeds will buttress the income of the college, according to the GBCC President, Dr. Samuel Monwell.
GBCC, which was established in 2008 to providing tertiary education for people of the county, runs over seven programs including the Agriculture Department that has graduated over 300 students with Associate Degree since the inception of the college.
Dr. Monwell said with the availability of the farmland, the college will plant rubber, palm and other cash crops for the sustainability of the college.
“When we took over as President of the college, we got to know that we needed to work on a sustainability plan and so we all decided to start up with a farm,” he said. “Our team selected District Two and so we got in contact with the citizens to help us because GBCC is their college.”
Mr. Josiah Gayman, who is the Director of Scholarships at the College, added that the arrangement for the land started long before the community decided to grant the land.
“We were here weeks ago, and we have come again to finalize the documents about the farmland,” Gayman said on Monday, December 21 before a meeting with the community. “We as a college have decided to work on farm project for sustainability of the college because we feel that we have to do something on our own as a college to help the college”.
Following several hours of a closed-door discussion, the community then agreed to grant the land to the college. James Vorgar, speaker of the town, told reporters after the consultation that “the elders and citizens decided to provide the first 200 acres of land for the college farm project”.
He furthered: “We are providing 200 acres for now because we have not surveyed all of our land but after our survey, we will meet again to see what help we can give the college depending on their plans”.
For her part, Madam Nancy Greene, Statutory Superintendent of District Two, described the college as “very important to Grand Bassa”, adding that it was “a blessing that the college selected District #2” for the project.
“I am over excited because you are my people and you have listened to us for the betterment of the district,” she said. “I want to appreciate all of you for providing 200 acres of land for the Grand Bassa Community College farm project as an initial startup”.
