By Yero S. Bah
Technology and entrepreneurship have really gone far in creating impressive ideas and new cultures in virtually every aspect of people’s lives. And agriculture has benefited and continues to benefit tremendously from it in recent years.
Some agricultural entrepreneurs and experts believe farmers can still cultivate crops without using soil throughout their farming activities, by using numerous farming technologies such as hydroponic farming systems.
Hydroponics is a subset of hydroculture, which is a method of growing plants without soil, by instead using mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent.
Hydroponists argue that, plants or crops only need essentials such as micro or macro nutrients to survive and not necessarily soil.
Expanding on this method of planting was Mr. Sulayman Leigh, hydroponist Farm Manager in Basori Village, Kombo Central, who runs the farm in partnership with his uncle, who helps in financially towards the development of the farm.
He explained to this medium that hydroponic farming is a method of cultivating crops without actually using soil but only water and plant nutrients; a farming technology that was first introduced in Australia in the early 1800s by Australian farmers and agriculturists.
Leigh held that hydroponic farming is innovative, soil-less, and produces good yields for farmers who venture into the agricultural technology and innovative style. The farming activity or technology involves the use of water and plant nutrients such as macro and micro nutrients which help plants and crops to survive. He pinpointed that the soil plays a little or no major role in plants survival except holding them firmly on the ground.
“The role of the soil in farming is holding crops and plants firm on the ground, but the rest is done by macro or micro nutrients in their survival,” argued Leigh.
The Basori hydroponist recalled that he first came across the term hydroponic farming in Kenya while doing his undergraduate program in International Business Management (IBM), and immediately, he was marveled with the concept or technology which prompted him to pursue a year-long Technical Course on Hydroponic Technology in South Africa. He vouched that, “Hydroponic farming is innovative and the yields can be good.”
Farm Manager Leigh observed that there is stigma towards agriculture in the Gambia because many people consider it as a “dirty work”. But he argues that hydroponic farming is clean as it requires little or no soil; and therefore held that that such farming activities could do better in the Gambia.
Leigh recounts that his return to the country in 2017 was to purely introduce the technology in the Gambia so as to welcome others into the system; and also to practice the knowledge gained in this area of farming in his native country.
Prior to his engagement in hydroponic farming, Leigh as deduced from his version, was a cassava grower in Basori village. He, however, alleged lack of interest by the Gambia government and others in such agricultural technologies that could transform the sector and the country into food self-sufficiency. Opining that hydroponic farming is the future in agriculture, the Gambian hydroponist held, “I have approached several government departments and offices but the respond is always negative. He admitted that getting local experts to build his “green-house” and availability of the needed materials like micro or macro nutrients in the Gambia were enormous challenges. He also intimated that the humid climatic conditions in the Gambia is different from that of South Africa.
He underlined that hydroponic farming is not labor intensive because 90% of the activities involved water, and that, “it gives farmers the opportunities to grow more crops” such as tomatoes in all seasons. Leigh continued that, the essence of hydroponic farming technology allows the farmer to control the climate by installing humidity machines depending on the type of network or cover a farmer installed.
Leigh is undoubted that hydroponic farming is a system that is ideal for the Gambia, reasoning that people can practice it in any space because it does not need spacious areas. He added that people can practice it in their homes by having a water tank, few pipes and other seedling containers.
Therefore, he charged that not having enough space would not prevent one from using hydroponic farming.
The visionary agriculturist went to say that, the opportunities in hydroponic farming are limitless as a farmer could harvest a lot from a smaller space with hydroponic technology farming compared to the conventional farming methods in the Gambia. He disclosed his long term vision, which is to establish a skills training center where he would train tertiary students on hydroponic farming and the technology that goes with the system.
Leigh again, “My target is my center to be a reference point for agriculture in the Gambia.” Also, among his future ambitions, as he averred, are to work with the private sector to develop his farming technology, and approach tertiary agric-students to inculcate the technology into these youngsters for them to embrace it, since, according to him, government isn’t interested in the idea, opining “probably they find the idea too visionary” for government.
On the possible financial support from public or private institutions in the past, Leigh divulged that he has approached numerous agricultural projects in the Gambia such as the National Agricultural Land and Water Management Development Project (Nema Project), National Research Institute (NARI), Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) and others, but some never responded while others financial aid are too small, which he termed “chicken change” grants or loans by these institutions.
“I am not here to practice subsistence farming,” he remarked. He enjoined Gambian youths to strive for self-reliance, and empower themselves in agriculture since it is the backbone of the country’s economy.
The hydroponist’s message to the Gambian people is to leave the stigmatization of agriculture behind, as he underscored the importance of agriculture in the lives of farmers and country as a whole.
Meanwhile, Leigh had also spoke on the challenges associated with this type of farming. He said one of the problems with hydroponic farming is that it mostly deals with literate individuals and not illiterate. That, he admitted, is one his challenges in partnering with many of the Gambians farmers and women because “most of them” are not literate.
Another challenge he cited, is the importation of these plant nutrients from countries like Senegal since the nutrients are not available in the Gambia.
