There are positive trends and signs of addressing malnutrition at GEF-funded Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change Project (AACCP) intervention areas in the Gambia.

 From the North Bank Region to the Upper River Region, heart-to-heart testimonies from poultry farms and community gardens attest to FAO’s support in producing various nutritious products for the benefit of households.

FAO visited other communities, Kwonkuba; FAO’s support is evident and confirmed by community members.

“Thanks to FAO Gambia, we have a road that makes it easy for the community ambulance to transport patients to the nearest referral health facility, they also supported us with milling machines, power tillers, and other farm implements.” a happy Jalamang Touray disclosed.

The village is also home to an AACCP-supported Poultry Farm which generates income and protein for the beneficiaries. The farm is integrated with a Vegetable Garden supplying it with compost manure to ensure the healthy growth of vegetables. The garden benefits 358 people most of whom are women. Each member 500 Dalasis to the village account every year contributing to a working capital amount of 179,000 Dalasis.

The amount raised and any profits derived are used for the development of the village including investing in the community garden.  “The project gave us a solid chain-link fence, a borehole, a solar and reticulation systems, however due to the size of the garden and the number of people working here, we also took it upon ourselves to erect additional reticulation systems, to provide easy access to water in other parts of the garden.”

The community efforts confirm the commitment to taking ownership of every support they receive; the evidence is in the amount of over 20 million GMD generated in the 2022 harvest.

“Last year, we generated about 12.5 million GMD from bitter tomato sales, 2.5 million GMD from onion sales, and 5.1 million from the sale of mint cumulatively from the garden.”

Speaking to other beneficiaries at the garden about the project, one senses a heartwarming feeling of gratitude and contentment in them. They are pleased with the numerous benefits these projects brought to them, with a promise of growth.

“We are lost for words, FAO changed the way we grow our crops, they taught us how to preserve compost manure and its use on our vegetables. This improved our yield and customer base because many people from other places prefer to buy from us, our produce is organic, and can be credited for the huge profit we all generate from the garden.”  Tamara Tambajang one of the gardeners said.

The number of harvests and record sales at the visited AACCP-supported sites are memorable, relatable, and inspiring success stories, not to mention their sustenance, it speaks to better production, a better environment, and a better life.  However, more needs to be done to support the committed farmers.

marketing their produce.

Sare Birom a remote community in Niumi North Bank Region practices rainfed crop farming. Like other hard-to-reach rural communities, Sare Birom is also bereft of basic but essential services making it difficult for the inhabitants to have improved living conditions during the dry season. However, in search of means of livelihood to sustain themselves during this period, the village women mobilized themselves and started a garden with the hope of generating income for a better life.

They teamed up to dig wells measuring up to 18 meters deep for irrigation, only to be dismayed at poor yields due to the erratic nature of the groundwater levels.  It was not until the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) through the Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change Project (AACCP) funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) intervened with a poultry farm as a climate change adaptation measure to diversify their means of livelihood, that the community experienced a watershed moment.

“This farm is transforming our lives daily; our members are fully and productively engaged, and our living conditions have improved.”  Fatoumatta Sowe, the leader of the women’s group explained.

The women’s group called “Wellingara Association” were given day-old chicks as seed capital to run a poultry farm some months ago with the expectation that they will sell the birds when they mature and plow back the proceeds to sustain the much-needed intervention. In search of clues on how FAO’s AACCP is changing lives in rural Gambia, FAO visited the community and noticed good progress.

We found women beaming with smiles perhaps to the inspiring success they registered at the farm. Already, they have raised 100,000 GMD, from the first batch of birds they received as seed capital some months ago and have already restocked the poultry with 600 birds, from the proceeds of the initial sale. “This is our first breakthrough some of the birds bought are already mature for the market, and customers such as lodge owners and restaurateurs within the region, as well as people from nearby communities, have started to make bookings thus far, we also have a customer comes from Serrekunda to buy 250 birds.”

This confirms the growing sales and returns to profitability at the farm, likewise, the improved economic situation of these women could not have raised such income in their gardens in a short period, due to irregular water supply.

“In the past, we used to travel long distances to buy chicken legs, especially during Ramadan, sometimes our meat will defrost and get spoiled before we reach home because the money, we spend on it is huge we sometimes cook and consume some and end up experiencing gastrointestinal infectious diseases. Today, thanks to the AACCP project, we can buy as many portions of meat as we can afford.” Said Jainaba Bah, one of the farmers.

Pateh Jawo, a livestock officer in Kerewan discussed the economic gains of poultry farming in NBR which he said is gaining momentum. “Poultry farms sell birds for 300GMD each, if you multiply that by 500, you will notice the huge profit a farmer can make from poultry farming, thanks to projects like AACCP, many livelihoods have changed.”

If what Pateh and the women poultry farmers said is anything to go by, a brighter prognosis and a better life, and a healthy rural population is guaranteed.

When other crops fail, pearl millet is the one cash crop that farmer folk in the Gambia can rely on for their needs. The cereal is drought tolerant.

pearl millet may not be an export product, it contributes to eradicating hunger and poverty among rural dwellers. The cereal is usually grown after the first rains around July when farmers would have cleared and ploughed their fields.

 It goes through a unique process from the farm to the fork. During harvest, the stalks are cut-off from plants using knives and are placed in piles before they are tied into bundles with tree-bark ropes to ensure easy transportation to a storage site. Several weeks later, farmers especially women would then remove the bundles from the store to extract seeds from stalks and hulls through threshing and winnowing. 

 It is no easy feat. This drudgery may be very itchy, nonetheless, some women seem to enjoy it, and they even entertain themselves while in the process.

 After the seeds are extracted from stalks and hulls, they are later sorted from the light dust produced during the first and second stages, they are then dried and crushed into flour. This process is mostly done by a milling machine or a mortar and a pestle. Once the flour is produced, it can be used to make palatable delicacies like porridge.

 The celebration of the 2023 as the United Nations’ International Year of Millets could not have come at a better time for one of the Gambia’s Chiefs.  For a man who holds the title of longest-serving Chief in the history of The Gambia, there is perhaps no better person to explain the benefits of millet growing to Gambian farmers.

 “Millets provide a livelihood for us in forest-degraded communities. Last year I produced approximately 300 bags of pearl millet from my six hectares of farm.”

 With just a horse, the local seed grower and octogenarian farmer who himself has been cultivating millet for more than four decades said he was able to perform the Hajj in Mecca, build his home, buy cattle, and pay his children’s tuition fees from the proceeds of his millet and groundnut farms.

In Boiram Central River Region South, millet is grown by almost every household, it is a staple food. “We prepare millet dishes for dinner   for the elderly, and patients with non-communicable diseases. Our pregnant women, lactating mothers, and infants also consume porridge as nutritional supplements, due to lack of access to modern milk supplements.” Awa Jagne a housewife in Boiram narrated.

 The nutritional value of millet is immense, it serves as a good source of protein. “Millets can provide essential vitamins and minerals for children’s growth and can control blood sugar levels among pregnant women.” Malang Fofana, Deputy Executive Director of the National Nutrition Agency (NaNA) highlighted.

 The Gambia’s millet production plummeted in recent years, in 2021, 36,000 tonnes were produced, showing a decline of 13,000 tonnes compared to the 2020 figures published by Knoema Corporation. More needs to be done to support the farming community by noting the nutritional value of pearl millet. As a drought tolerant crop, it is suited for the uncertainties imposed by climate change thus securing household food and nutrition security notwithstanding economic benefits for subsistence farmers.

The story of Gui Jahanka is very exciting to tell. The remote village which due to its topographical location only relied on rain to grow field crops in the past now finds itself among very prominent names on FAO Gambia’s list of success stories. Gui Jahanka was supported by FAO through projects like the Agriculture for Economic Growth Project (AfEG) to become a model in vegetable production.

FAO expanded Gui Jahanka’s community garden and modernized it with a chain-linked fence, a borehole with a 20,000-litter elevated tank, an effective solar, and a reticulated system. The community also received additional agricultural inputs such as improved seeds from FAO, as further support to ensure farm productivity and profitability, especially for women farmers. After having received this support, the community then drew inspiration from the “One Community one Product initiative,” and grew pepper on a large scale during the dry season, to begin what would later become a highly profitable venture.

To further ensure that Gui Jahanka’s economic activities continue unabated, FAO through AfEG later provided the community with crop production knowledge, by deploying two young Gambia Songhai Initiative graduates who during their year-long assignment at the vegetable garden in 2022, imparted gainful new farming methods, including organic vegetable production, managing organic systems, and appropriate vegetable spacing for a better environment and better production.

“During our first season, we were able to convince farmers to create space between their peppers to ensure better yields, the community also increased their production to 590 beds which later grew to 662 by the time we departed the village.” Mamadou Dem, one of the crop production assistants explained.

Today, not only has Gui Jahanka departed from seasonal farming to year-round farming, but it is also a major supplier of pepper in the region. Out of the 662 beds, they make every season, a good chunk of them is set aside for pepper growing whilst the rest can be used to cultivate salad, onions, and tomatoes.

“Yields and economic activities in the village suddenly improved, whilst women farmers’ income increased as a result of FAO’s intervention.”

 “FAO changed our lives; they have made farming look very easy and profitable for us. Today we can proudly say that we can take care of our needs now without having to rely on our husbands.” Salla Bah, the lady president of the community Garden said.

 FAO’s intervention in Gui Jahanka is an example of its firm commitment to reducing rural poverty and making agriculture more inclusive, sustainable, and productive. It is also doing the same in several other rural communities by helping them to increase their yields and income and adapt to climate change.

The Food and Agriculture Organization’s newly introduced FTT- Thiaroye Ovens are changing the narrative in The Gambia’s fisheries sector. The ovens are producing wholesome fish for the local and international markets, essentially generating more revenue for women fish vendors, saving time, and improving their health beneficiaries say. 

Introduced in The Gambia in 2021 as a simple but efficient alternative to the old and traditional fish smoking, the FTT-Thiaroye ovens were first piloted at the coastal settlement of Gunjur Southern Gambia, where close to 30 participants from fish landing sites were trained on the use of this technology. 

“We were trained on handling, hazards, health, and smoking of fish when using the FTT ovens. From the training, some of us were sent to Ghana, to undergo an advanced course on the use of this technology.” Said Isatou Bajan Bojang, a beneficiary who is now identified as a trainer. 

The women in Gunjur started using the smokehouses after the training and have attested to the huge benefits brought about by the FTTs. 

“Most of our colleagues abandoned fish smoking because they almost became visually impaired whilst others suffer heart and lung diseases due to plumes of smoke discharged from the traditional smokehouses, this smoke is mostly generated from foreign and dirty materials we used to smoke fish, today our health improved, because the FTTs emit less or no smoke.” Jainaba Janneh A native of Gunjur posited. 

Jaiaba Janneh counts herself lucky to benefit from this latest technology for she no longer needs to worry about smoke anymore, with the FTT-Thiaroye ovens a healthier work environment is guaranteed. 

“We don’t need to be far from the smokehouse when the process is ongoing for fear of inhaling smoke, we stay close to the ovens and won’t be bothered by smoke. The FTTs are very economical, they take less firewood, charcoal and can smoke and dry fish in a day as opposed to the old process which takes three days.” 

From the look of things, the Impact of the FTTs in Gunjur is already immense, according to the women, the new technology did not only improve their health, but it also improves their income as it produces very wholesome fish.  

“In the past when we export smoked fish it is normally rejected due to high concentrations of smoke in them, but since we started using the FTT ovens all our exports are accepted, we are happy that this improved our economic situation.” Musukuta Darboe another excited fish smoker explained.

The FAO-Thiaroye Technique (FTT) a new fish smoking technology pioneered by FAO and has the potential to greatly enhance fish operators’ livelihoods. After Gunjur, the technology was recently introduced at the Brufut and Tanji fish landing sites and are set to benefit dozens of women in these coastal settlements. Already the beneficiaries have concluded trainings on the use of the smokehouses and are already excited about them.  

Meet Jainaba Manneh, a 37-year-old farmer from the far-flung community of Jolie, Kiang West, Lower River Region. Her life has changed for the better, thanks to the intervention of the European Union-funded Agriculture for Economic Growth (AfEG) Project of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Jainaba is a mother of seven and the bread winner of her family; she channeled her passion into farming to provide for her family. Jainaba cultivates 10-15 beds (10 m x 1 m) each year to produce vegetables such as bitter tomatoes, onions, and cabbage in an FAO supported Vegetable Garden

“Gardening is what takes care of my family’s needs. I have children some of whom are in school, going, I must work to pay the bills and place food on the table.”

The 37-year-old has been a gardener all her life, she described horticulture as a satisfying labor with a decent profit margin. However, this labor though satisfying has not been all smooth sailing, she took time to recollect the day-to-day drudgery of work she and her colleague gardeners in a scarcely populated village, undergo before and after they harvest their vegetables.

“Access to the garden, water and a good road to transport produce to the highway were a major problem; we paid men to dig wells but drawing water from these wells was a daunting task, we hardly could do our house chores or sleep when we get back home due to the pain and fatigue. Nonetheless, we wake up at dawn each day to head back to the garden, left with time to be with our families.”

Joli is 6.3 kilometers away from Kiang Manduar, a village where commercial vehicles and middlemen and women traders are. Joli is not accessible to traders due to poor road conditions.

“The only way we could sell our vegetables is by taking the risks of waking up as early as 03:00 am to join the only vehicle that goes from Joilie to Manduar each day, sometimes one walks through forested and woody areas just to get to traders in Manduar, thus most leafy vegetables get spoiled especially during warm weather, affecting our financial income.” 37-year-old Jainaba narrated.

To contribute to better life change for people in Jolie, the AfEG Project of FAO fenced a 5-hectare land area, outside the community for vegetable production. The Garden is provided with solar irrigation systems (overhead tank and reticulation) and a feeder road linking the community garden to Manduar. Jainaba.  The entire community members are relieved for having this support.

“Ice trucks selling fish can now reach Jolie, this was impossible five months ago. Vegetable yields increased because stray animals can no longer access the crops, and traders can now buy harvested vegetables in the community, this has reduced post-harvest losses.”

Jainaba commended FAO for taking the project to them, noting that the lives of people in Jolie would have been worst, due to the current economic situation country is grappling with.

 “As a breadwinner, this means a lot, today I can provide enough for my family thanks to this project”.

AfEG, an FAO European Union-funded Project is implemented in the North Bank, Lower River, Central, and Upper River Regions to address food insecurity and malnutrition through interventions that facilitates better production and a better life. One of these interventions is building feeder roads for 11 communities, to enhance access to markets, especially for women. 

Jainaba told a compelling story of how a rural woman’s life was changed after years of hardships. She remains grateful to the project for giving her a new lease of life.