Farmers in the Gambia have constantly informed Farmers’ Eye that the major obstacles to food self-sufficiency in the Gambia are the erratic rainfall, the inadequate seeds and the un-affordability of fertilizer. However, the study report on the implication of the 2011-2012 crop failure carried out by Action-aid indicated that the heavy dependence on rain-fed agriculture means that agricultural production is subject to the climatic vagaries beyond human control and that for this reason, The Gambia, along with the rest of the Sahel region has experienced periodic crop failures, occasioned by inadequate rainfall.

The report went on to show that the challenge posed by the over-dependence on rain-fed agriculture is compounded by the limited use of irrigation in the country and that the percentage of arable land under irrigation has been estimated to range from 3 percent to 6 percent.

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The Ministry of Agriculture, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation, FAO country office on Wednesday February 6th 2013, launched the technical cooperation programme on the emergency control of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) in The Gambia, through an inception workshop held at Atlantic Hotel in Banjul.

The objectives of the workshop, among others, were to bring together all relevant stakeholders to share with them the rationale, implementation arrangements and the expected outputs and outcomes of the emergency assistance, in order to control the outbreak of CBPP in The Gambia, including the role of the various stakeholders in project implementation.

The project, designed for emergency intervention to control the CBPP outbreak and prevent its spread, while providing significant amount of capacity-building to lay the foundation for long-term actions and sustainable CBPP control, its target beneficiaries will be cattle farmers countrywide for the emergency assistance programme, who will receive CBPP vaccination for approximately 400,000 heads cattle.

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In The Gambia, a good percentage of the population relies on agriculture as their main source of income and staple food. This is sometimes limited by the unavailability of technical know-how and knowledge on agriculture.

In this first edition, we introduce to you, the horticultural activities of women at the Bajulinding horticultural garden, which has been pioneered and supported by President Jammeh fromthe early days of the second republic.

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Since the commencement of the 2012/2013 groundnut marketing season on 3rd December 2012, it’s reported that the season is kicking well in many parts of the country.

Reports gathered by this paper from its regional correspondents and other sources stated that farmers in many parts of the country this time around did not experience the usual credit buying.

This is significant, because farmers should be paid upon delivery of their groundnuts to the cooperative societies or private traders and agents participating in groundnut buying at the primary seccos.

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Following the recent distribution of garden tools, equipment and fertilisers worth over three million Dalasis to the horticultural women gardeners across the six agricultural regions of the country, beneficiaries have expressed satisfaction over the timely intervention of the West African Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) in boosting their moral for improved living standards.

Speaking in an interview with some of the beneficiaries at the various regions during a distribution exercise, several women expressed gratitude about the gesture, noting that such a move will go a long way towards uplifting their livelihood.

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