The Sierra Leone Network on the Right to Food (SiLNoRF) has urged improved transparency and fairer benefit-sharing between Miro Forestry Sierra Leone and local communities affected by its operations. This appeal was made during a multi-stakeholder meeting in Makeni, where SiLNoRF presented its report titled “Uprooted Promises: A Case Study of Carbon Credits, Land Rights and Community Impacts in Sierra Leone.”
The report, based on research conducted in October 2025 involving 289 participants from six villages in the Tonkolili and Port Loko districts, highlighted issues related to land acquisition, community livelihoods, carbon-credit awareness, women’s involvement, and compensation concerns. Some residents reported inadequate consultation before land was taken for plantation activities and claimed that areas labelled as degraded land had been used for subsistence farming.
Furthermore, SiLNoRF noted that many local residents and authorities were unaware of carbon-credit activities, perceiving the land primarily for timber production. Women reported diminished access to fruit trees and firewood and limited engagement in consultations about land payments.
In terms of compensation, landowners described the US$17 annual rent per hectare as insufficient compared to their lost income from subsistence farming. The report mentioned a proposed community fund of five per cent of net profits, yet landowners claimed communities had not received a share of carbon-credit earnings and there were no mechanisms for revenue sharing.
Miro Forestry’s Finance Manager, Mohamed Turay, argued that the company should have had a chance to discuss the report prior to its publication and insisted that Miro complies with regulations and standards. Meanwhile, Miro and its project partner, South Pole, contested certain findings and methodologies in the report.
Tonkolili District’s Hon. Aaron Aruna Koroma noted Miro’s significant tree-planting efforts, with around 1.5 million trees planted each year. Paramount Chief Bai Simera Kapen III called for improved community awareness regarding carbon-credit schemes.
The discussions concluded with a call for ongoing dialogue, enhanced transparency regarding land agreements and carbon revenues, and better community benefit-sharing. SiLNoRF recommended reviewing land leases to align with Sierra Leone’s 2022 Customary Land Rights Act, emphasising the need for increased participation from women and affected communities in land governance decisions.
