Like many countries, Agriculture remains a key contributor to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of The Gambia, yet farmers remain poor despite the positive influence their agricultural activities have on the country’s economy. Of those farmers, many are women who engage in vegetable gardening for their upkeep and that of their families. Mostly, the women gardeners sustain the needs of their families from the income generated from the sales of their vegetable products. Contrary to the energy and time invested in the community and/or back yard gardens by them, there is limited access to the market for the hardworking and committed women to sell their products post-harvest. That makes access to market a challenge for them, especially those in the rural area. Due to the limited access to markets for most of the women post-harvest, they are compelled to sell their vegetable products at a cheaper cost within their communities or travel afar to the nearby markets in major towns to sell. Either of these options has numerous challenges for them. In addition, due to the nature of most of those community markets and the distance to the major markets in the nearby towns, many of their products go on unsold and perish in the end because of the lack of storage facilities at their disposal to preserve the leftovers. The perishing of their unsold products causes economic losses to them and further toughens the sustenance of their families from the income they generated from the sales of the products. In the build up to the April 9 parliamentary election, women gardeners in three districts in the Fonis- Berefet, Bintang and Kansala told this reporter that their votes are for candidates who would ease their nightmare. In other words, a candidate who would ease their challenge to access the market for the sale of their vegetable products, after harvest. Access to market, decider for the women What supposed to be a moment of joy and gain for her, Manlafie Jarjue, the head of vegetable growers in Somita in the Foni Berefet District enumerated the numerous difficulty she faces accessing market, anytime she harvests her vegetables for sale, which leads to economic losses for her, instead. “Most of my vegetables get rotten along the way, although the road is good but Brikama is far from here (Somita). And upon arrival, the price that I fix for my vegetables won’t be realized, because those in the market usually set their price prior to my arrival, which I can’t refuse because that is the only place I can sell my vegetables. As we are heading to choose someone to represent us, I will vote for the one who has the plight of the women of Foni at heart, especially us gardeners,” she said. Among others, every farmer wishes to make profit at the end of every harvest, but that is not the case for Kaddy Camara, a tomato grower. She lamented that most of her leftover tomatoes are usually thrown away after sales saying, ‘no matter how much I struggle to arrive early in Brikama, before I reach the market, people are done with buying, which is a loss for me’. Kaddy stressed that despite the efforts she puts into gardening does not pay off due to difficulty in accessing markets; adding that she caters some needs of her family from the gardening, among others. She assured to vote for a candidate with plans to facilitate easy access to the market for her to sell her vegetable products: “Hence I own my votes, I will vote for an individual who will help me put an end to my struggle here in the garden.” Another vegetable grower, Kaddy Touray, 'Joofoo’ goes all the way to Sibanor or Bwiam to sell her vegetables, which is far from her village (Somita). Like her colleague, she makes a little or no profit thanks to the marketing constraint. Anytime she could not go to Sibanor or Bwiam to sell her vegetables, she goes house to house to sell, and not all is sold, sometimes. “Sometimes, I even give my vegetables as a loan and at the end they won’t pay or sometimes, I give it out for free but this wouldn't have happened if there was easy access to the market,” she lamented. Fatou Darboe, also a vegetable gardener, said that she earns her livelihood from the trade. However, limited access to the market is affecting her a lot; thus, she is not able to sponsor her children’s education anymore as her income level falls. ‘If accessing the market were easy, then all my children would have been in school by now’. For her, the parliamentary elections will be decider, especially for her children’s future because if that candidate can facilitate easy access to the market for her to sell her products, then, the candidate deserves her vote as all her children would go to school and have a bright future. Vegetable production provides a promising economic opportunity for reducing rural poverty and unemployment in developing countries and is a key component of farm diversification strategies; as vegetables remain a source of vitamins and minerals needed for good health. Agriculture is a vital sector in The Gambia. It accounts for about 17.8 percent of the GDP, ranking behind the service sector, which recorded 68.8 percent of the GDP. An Onion bed at Somita women gardeners Promises Amie Colley, an aspirant for Berefet argued that the challenges of women are beyond access to market, but marketability of their products, due to importation. If elected, she promised to ensure that a cold store is provided for the gardeners so that their leftover products would not perish after sales. Ebou Colley, an aspirant for Berefet under APRC ticket, observed that another problem the vegetable gardeners encounter in the constituency is water, and he would work with relevant stakeholders like the Ministry of Agriculture to solve, if elected. The APRC aspirant said if elected, he would influence the authorities concerned to solve the problem. Stakeholder reaction Meanwhile, Lamin Darboe, deputy director of administration at the Ministry of Agriculture said the population of a community determines markets and said Brikama market is good because there are a lot of people and buying and selling can take place. He said his ministry in partnership with donors is building a warehouse in every constituency of Foni where the women can preserve their vegetables for long. Expert view Mustapha Camara, horticulturist said marketing is a key challenge in production and suggested farmers to practice growing one group of crops at a particular period, as a solution. The practice, he suggested, would help them to determine the market demands and enable them to avoid growing the same variety of vegetables at the same time. “If all are grown at the same time, not all will be sold…if this is done farmers will make profit and they will not go to markets to sell, instead customers will come and buy from them,” he suggested. Camara advised gardeners to do market surveys, saying ‘know what the market wants, have a plan and have farming skills so that you can have profit and enjoy the beauty of gardening’.
Farmers in the North Bank Region have lamented that post-harvest losses is a serious problem be-setting crop production in the area, affirming that candidates with plans to tackle the problem would greatly influence their voting in the 9th April parliamentary election. A cross-section of farmers who spoke to this medium, acknowledged that post-harvest losses affect their earning and therefore needs urgent attention by concerned authorities. Farmers’ concern Lamin Njie, a 35-year-old gardener in Njaba Kunda in the Central Badibou said he encountered a challenge in controlling pests in his garden because he does not have enough pesticide to eradicate the pests at his garden, as a result, he losses many of the produces he harvested in his gardens to them. He informed that community gardens have a great impact at community level, especially in small villages, adding ‘due to pests’ invasion, we experience a lot of difficulties in our gardens’. Njie called on the government of the Gambia through the Ministry of Agriculture, and partners to find a solution to the problem for the well-being of farmers and the country, by extension. Like other farmers, a solution to the problem would greatly influence his voting in the parliamentary election. “I would only vote for the candidate who advocates the well-being of farmers in the Central Badibou District in the 9th April 2022 parliamentary,” he said. Another farmer, Ndey Fatou Sanyang, a vegetable grower at Jokadu Karantaba, is also affected by post-harvest losses mostly caused to her crops by pests and diseases. “Most of us (women gardeners) use the money we get from the garden to pay the school fees of our children and also take care of our other needs for our families,” she said. The vegetable grower in Karataba confirmed that gardening has transformed the livelihoods of many women; and said that any candidate vying for the parliamentary seat of Jokodu should be ready to fight for the best interest of the farmers, as their representative at the National Assembly. What aspirants offer? Fatou Busso, an aspirant under the National People’s Party (NPP) for Upper Niumi said if elected, she would empower the women through government subsidies to remedy their problems. “If I win the 9th April parliamentary election 2022 for Upper Niumi, I would not only focused on pests and diseases control, but I will also lobby projects including boreholes for clean drinking water, as most of the people of Upper Niumi lack clean drinking water in their areas,” she assured. Aspirant Busso promised that the lack of fertilizer, seeds, and controlling pests and diseases would be her priority, as well as empowering women and youth farmers to access markets. Sulayman Saho, the sitting National Assembly member for Central Badibou seeking re-election under the United Democratic Party (UDP) said if elected as the lawmaker for his constituency, he would liaise with the government through the Ministry of Agriculture to effectively control pests and crop diseases for the well-being of his electorates. “If I am re-elected as the National Assembly Member for Central Badibou, I will make sure that the pest and crop diseases will be controlled- whether it is cultural, chemical or biological control for the betterment of agriculture for my people and the country at large,” he promised. Expert observation Lamin Fatty, an agriculturalist observed that the absence of permanent and standard selling places such as poor marketing structure, lack of simple storage technologies to maintain and prolong the life of produce which causes post-harvest losses. He added that the unavailability of well- established markets, storage facilities, poor transportation and lack of practical skills related to post-harvest handling, temperature and humidity management, also cause losses to farmers after harvest. “Post-harvest losses and quality deterioration of horticultural crops are mostly caused by pests, microbial infection, natural ripening processes and environment conditions such as heat, drought and improper post-harvest,” Fatty said. According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), poor seed quality, inadequate farming practices, or insect attacks in the field can provoke post-harvest losses for farmers. The research added that broken grains from threshing could encourage the development of insects caused by the combined action of moulds, insects, rodents and other pests leading to post-harvest losses; as well as premature harvest, poor maturation, poor threshing, insufficient drying, and bird attacks, among others. In many developing countries, overall post-harvest losses of cereals and grain legumes account for about 10 to 15 percent, and it is estimated to be about 50% in some regions of Africa and Latin America.
For several decades, Gambia's agricultural sector stood as the country's primary economic driver, contributing around 17.8 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In 2016, it trailed behind the services sector, which accounted for 68.8 percent of the GDP. According to a World Bank Report in 2017, the agricultural sector employed 27.1 percent of The Gambia's workforce. Notably, women played a significant role in this sector, with a higher likelihood of involvement compared to men. Data from the International Labour Organization revealed a 10-percentage point gender gap in agricultural participation between 2000 and 2017. With over two-thirds of Gambians residing in rural areas and depending on agriculture for their livelihoods, this sector was a prime target for investment, aligning with the country's National Development Plan (NDP) objectives focused on poverty reduction. Despite its historical significance in employment and the nation's economy, the agricultural sector has exhibited mixed performance over the years. Reports indicate that it has consistently underperformed in comparison to other economic sectors, with its GDP contribution declining from 29.0 percent in 2010 to 16.9 percent in 2019, as reported by the World Bank. Njaba Kunda, a rural community in the heart of Baddibu, was once synonymous with Gambia's thriving agricultural sector. The livelihoods of its residents predominantly relied on farming. However, this narrative has undergone a dramatic transformation over the years. The youth, who were once the backbone of agriculture, have increasingly chosen irregular migration to Europe as a means to make ends meet, leaving their farms behind. Since January 2016, an estimated 21,705 Gambians have embarked on the perilous journey to Europe by sea, representing approximately 1% of the nation's population at that time. Njaba Kunda, a village of approximately 5,000 people in Central Baddibu district, has witnessed a significant exodus of its young population, with more than 700 of its youth now residing in Europe and neighboring countries. Tragically, over 30 individuals from Njaba Kunda have lost their lives in the past years while attempting this journey, with many perishing in the Mediterranean. It is important to note that the majority of these migrants are men, leaving behind grieving families, including wives, children, and parents. Ward Councilor Alhagie Jaiteh remarked on the impact of migration, stating, "In Baddibu Njaba Kunda here, many people have migrated. Most of them took the irregular route known as the 'Backway.' Those who survived the journey have brought significant development to the village. However, some have lost their lives in Morocco, Libya, or at sea. Approximately, every year, 3 to 4 people perish on this perilous journey." Fatou Kanteh, a prominent female community leader, expressed her concern about the irregular route to Europe chosen by the village's youth. She emphasized the risks associated with such journeys and urged the young to explore opportunities closer to home. "As a mother, I cannot advise anyone to take the irregular route to Europe. It is perilous, and many have lost their lives. Our youth can stay and make a decent living here. There are opportunities available, including farming, poultry, and small-scale businesses," she stated. Although the rate of migration has declined in recent times, the youth continue to leave Njaba Kunda. Lamin Kanteh, a teacher and District Youth Chairperson of Lower Baddibu, shared the pressures faced by young people who remain in the village. Lamin believes that his salary is insufficient to sustain his livelihood. Inadequate income sources and societal expectations have pushed many young people to embark on the irregular journey to Europe. Lamin explained, "Several factors drive our youth to take the irregular route to Europe, one of which is societal pressure. Nowadays, if you are not in Europe or lack financial means, even earning respect in your own home becomes a challenge." Lamin also highlighted some positive aspects of migration, stating that migrants in Europe have played a significant role in reshaping the village's economy. They have constructed solid houses, which were previously rare in the village. However, the exodus of young people is having two contradictory impacts. On the one hand, migrants in Europe are sending remittances back to their families, positively impacting living standards and enabling investment in small-scale community businesses. On the other hand, the departure of many young men is changing the male-female balance in the village and will likely result in significantly lower birth rates. This places an even greater burden on those who remain to sustain the community's farming activities. During this year's farming season, nine compound heads abandoned their farms due to a lack of work force, as their young men had taken the irregular route to Europe, leaving them with the agricultural workload. The impact of irregular migration on rural communities is multifaceted and depends on several factors, including the scale of migration, the characteristics of migrants, and the policies in place in both sending and receiving countries. In the case of Njaba Kunda, irregular migration has had a mixed impact on the community. Remittances from irregular migrants have improved living standards and supported small-scale community businesses. However, the mass exodus of skilled laborers, particularly farmers and gardeners, has resulted in a brain drain, leading to a shortage of skilled workers in the community. Irregular migrants are also at an increased risk of exploitation and abuse. Muhammed Lamin Dibba, a Migration Expert, pointed out, "It is important to note that the impacts of irregular migration on rural communities like Njaba Kunda are not always straightforward. While remittances can have a positive impact on living standards, they can also lead to inflation, making it more challenging for locals to afford goods and services. Moreover, while the brain drain can create a shortage of skilled workers, it can also create opportunities for others to step up and fill those roles." According to the World Bank, remittances to The Gambia averaged US$181 million annually during 2013-2015, equivalent to 20% of the GDP in 2014. These remittances have tripled since 2006 and are expected to have significantly increased since then. The Central Bank of The Gambia disclosed that the country received $712 million in remittances in 2022. While remittances from migrants make a substantial contribution to The Gambia's economy and the well-being of families, many, including the government, discourage irregular migration to Europe. To address the outflow of young migrants, especially from rural areas, Migration Expert Dibba suggested that governments could create economic opportunities in these regions by investing in agriculture, infrastructure, and education. These measures can reduce poverty and unemployment, making rural areas more attractive places for young people to live.