ISSN 2360-798X
Abstract
Accepted 15th May, 2018.
Farming activities were disrupted in the Southern region of Sierra Leone as a result of the 2014 Ebola outbreak in the country. This study is conceived to investigate the effects of the Ebola outbreak on agricultural activities in Kakua and Bumpe Ngao Chiefdoms in Bo district Southern Sierra Leone. The objectives of the study were to examine the effects of Ebola Virus Disease ((EVD) on farming activities in the two chiefdoms and to determine the impact of EVD on the socio-economic lives of people in the two Chiefdoms. The population was estimated as 200 subjects. The sample size was 176; 44 respondents from every section in two Chiefdoms The significant findings included the following: the Ebola outbreak affected farming activities in the two chiefdoms. Food insecurity was high as farm lands were abandoned due to lockdowns and quarantine. Ebola victims were stigmatized and abandoned by family members and the community. Conclusively food insecurity was high in the two chiefdoms and the EVD outbreak had devastating effects on the economy of farmers. Some recommendations included the following i) in case of future outbreak, the government should institute alternative measures to fight the disease instead of lock downs and prevention of markets. Ii) traditional practices which include shaking hands, hugging, and washing dead bodies should be minimized or stopped. Iii) regular washing of hands should prevail in every community in the two Chiefdoms.
Keywords: Ebola, Agricultural Productivity, Kakua and Bumpe Ngao Chiefdoms, Bo District, Southern