By Yero S. Bah
Horticulture farming plays pivotal roles in the balance diet and economic independence of the farmers in the Gambia. It helps gardeners produce enough for consumption and boost the economic independence of farmers, especially Gambian women.
The Farato farm is located few meters away from the main Brikama-Serekunda highway near Mingdaw Senior Secondary School in West Coast Region. The farm is run by two citizens from Netherlands and their Gambian counterpart.
The Farm’s Manager, Mr. Andala Touray, explained to this medium that the farm has been there several decades ago, but their project “is just one and half-year in operation”. He said the farm was once run by a British national who used to cultivate strawberry until they started occupying the land last year, through business partnership.
Touray pointed out that the tomato seedlings were transplanted last month, and he’s hoping to harvest in just three months’ time; indicating it takes his four months to ripe-from nursery to harvesting. In the garden, a variety of chilly, hot pepper, onions and others are available for customers to buy.
Manager Touray saw farming as the most important thing for rapid economic growth for the country. Sadly, he argued, Gambians don’t believe in farming, but rather traveling and working in office. As deduced from his views, he doesn’t need office work as no one could pay him enough salary when it comes to white-colored-jobs.“I don’t need office work as at now,” he asserted.
The gardener said Gambians have this poor mentality that farming is not the right solution to alleviating poverty, adding people see agriculture to be a work that is dirty.
“Look at me, I am dirty as I water my crops; others expect me to be in the office and not on the farm here,” he remarked. Touray explained that their farm is a-14 hectare farm land but they are only able to cultivate four hectares due to resource constraints.
Noting that marketing plays a vital role in farming, Touray, however, admitted that one of the biggest challenges he faces is the lack of markets for the farm produce.
While saying Gambians believe they can’t produce enough to supply the markets, Farm Manager Touray vehemently dismissed that notion in totality, claiming his garden alone produces over 500 kilograms of tomatoes, hot pepper, okra and onions in every three days, but they have nowhere to sell them. The farm also offers seasonal employment to over 40 Gambians and the lowest employee earns 4000 dalasi, so said Touray.
Andala has been farming since 1996 and knows all the markets in the Greater Banjul Area and other parts of the country, according to him. He stated with disappointment that some Gambians would leave them {Gambian producers} here and go to Senegal to buy chili peppers which is locally-known as “Guawanah”.
The Farato Farm Manager lamented, “There are plenty of opportunities in agriculture but lack of financing and investment has hampered these endless opportunities in farming.”
Still on the issue of marketing, Touray has never utilized social media to advertise his farming activities; but he now posits it would be good for him to embark on such methods in the marketing of his garden produce, as many people are found online in this technological era.
He disclosed that marketers from Serekunda, Brikama, and Coastal Road usually visit his garden to buy from him. Reinforcing that the biggest problem is marketing, Touray also decried that many Gambians have money but they don’t support their fellow Gambians. He, however, advised people with lesser knowledge of agriculture not to involve themselves into it.
He urged those who don’t have the know-how of farming, to stay away from it, as the Farm Manager described farming as a fundamental adventure that could contribute to rapid national development in the Gambia. Agriculture has limited losses, opined Touray. He explained that their intention is to practice organic farming as they prepare their own local fertilizers that are chemical-free.
With pawpaw cultivation also ongoing at their farm land, Touray decried lack of enough water supplies which is rendering the progress of his crops. He told Mansa Banko Online: “Water is our major problem too. We need water, really, since we have a huge land for cultivation.” He is confident that with available water supply, they would be able to employ over 100 Gambians on that farm.
The Farato farm has being in existence since the 1980s as it passes through different hands, and for different farming activities, such as strawberry farming by the former British occupier.
The whole farm is properly fenced, hence, there no threats of animals’ invasion. The Farm Manager used this medium to encourage potential investors to come and invest in the farm. He maintained that they have the capacity to produce more crops if the right investment is provided.
“We are looking for support; government should come to see what we are doing here,” Touray suggested.
