If the old English adage which says that ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ is true, then Ms. Adama Jarju of Sifoe village in the West Coast Region, is a living example. Even though she didn’t farming, Jarju was forced into it by circumstances because her father got ill and there was no male-child to step in for the family, in order to put food on the table. Ms. Jarju had three other female siblings as her mother didn’t have a male-child and that prompted Adama to step up to the plate in filling that vacuum in the family.
“I had to step in to help my father who was ill, and when that happened, there wasn’t any choice for me,” she divulged to Mansa Banko Online newspaper during an interview.
The Sifoe native, who obtained an AAT qualification from the Management Development Institute (MDI), said she had never received funding from anybody except once, from a friend in England, who supported her financially to purchase some farming seeds and a book on permaculture. But apart from that, Jarju claimed, she’s funding her entire farming activities all by herself, from the little resources she gathers from her side hustles. “Farming is not easy, but with commitment and patience there is a lot to achieve in farming. So, I don’t think there are losses in tilling the soil,” she noted.
Jarju, who founded the ‘Daughters’ of the Gambia‘, a local female network foundation that helps girls and women, rhetorically said, if Gambians in the diaspora are coming home to farm, then why would those in the country sit idle. She added that what matters to her is survival and not societal criticisms of her farming engagements.
The young female gardener lamented the intrusions of cattle and pigs into her garden as a major setback for her, noting that almost on a daily basis these animals would stray into her garden because the cattle herders don’t control their animals. Notwithstanding the challenges she’s confronted with, Adama was able to harvest some pepper and lettuce during the past Ramadan.
At the moment, Jarju wants to focus on banana, pawpaw and other plants but lack of water is another hindrance to the progress of her farming undertakings. She recalled starting her farming activities in 2019 by growing groundnuts and cassava, disclosing that she was able to generate thirteen thousand dalasis (D13,000) from the cassava sales, which she surrendered to her dad as a form of support.
The Yakarr Football Academy founder and ex-female footballer indicated that farming enables her to be consuming fresh fruits, crops and vegetables, thus contributing to her well-being and good health. Jarju further posited that farming should be a priority for everyone to eat healthy, and also for them to be concerned about their eating habits. “I chose agriculture because I care about my health. It is sustainable and energetic,” she argued.
Unlike many of her fellow entrepreneurs in the country, marketing is not a problem for Jarju as, according to her, having good marketing strategies ‘is what matters’. She stressed that one needs to know the clientele, their needs or tastes to be able to penetrate the market.
In conclusion, Jarju pointed to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on her farming and other engagements, terming the pandemic period a ‘very bad year’ for her. Reason: She decried it halted most her farming and other activities.
