ActionAid International The Gambia (AAITG), in collaboration with its partners, held a national agroecology forum on Wednesday, 16th September 2026.
The forum was held under the theme “Action and Impact: Transforming Agriculture Through Agroecology and Equitable Fertilizer Access.”
It brought together key stakeholders, including farmers, women and youth representatives, civil society organizations, government institutions, researchers, development partners, and other actors in the agricultural sector to discuss practical solutions for transforming The Gambia’s food and agriculture systems.
Mr. Fafa O. Cham, speaking on behalf of AAITG, emphasized that agriculture remains crucial to the Gambian economy. “It employs many of our people, feeds our families, and shapes the health of our land and water,” he said.
He noted that the sector faces pressures such as erratic rainfall, soil degradation, rising input costs, post-harvest losses, and the growing burden of climate shocks. “These are not abstract challenges. They are realities we face every rainy season. For many years, we tried to address them with single solutions: more fertilizer, more pesticides, more imported seeds, and more tractors,” he explained.
While these measures helped in the short term, he said they also left the country with thinner soils, fewer pollinators, less diversity on farms, and higher costs for farmers who can least afford them.
Cham stressed that Gambian farmers have long practiced agroecological principles such as intercropping, compost making, seed saving, and integrating livestock with crops. He described these as sustainable, cost-smart, and nutrition-smart practices. “What we need now is to recognize them, strengthen them, and scale them with the right policies, research, and investment,” he added.
He described the forum as both a celebration of existing community knowledge and a working meeting to decide how to move agroecology from pilot projects to national practice. He highlighted its potential to advance food and nutrition security, climate resilience, economic opportunities for youth and women, biodiversity, and ecosystem health.
Alieu S. Bonjang, representing SOS, explained that the child care institution is moving beyond alternative care to tackle root causes of child-family separation. Their programs now focus on strengthening livelihoods and economic conditions, particularly for vulnerable women. “Supporting these women will help them meet the needs of their children,” he said.
Emile Van Caemegem, representing the EU-Gambia Delegation, noted that they have five different grants on organic fertilizer production with entities such as AAITG, focusing on access to healthy soil. “These grants have a key focus on organic fertilizer production and advocacy,” he said.
Dr. Sakou Sanyang, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, emphasized that agroecology offers an important approach to addressing challenges such as climate change, declining soil fertility, biodiversity loss, food insecurity, and the need to improve smallholder livelihoods.
He explained that by promoting sustainable farming practices, efficient use of natural resources, local knowledge, and resilient food systems, agroecology can significantly contribute to national development priorities.
The government, he said, recognizes the importance of strengthening sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture. However, achieving meaningful transformation requires strong partnerships among government institutions, farmers, research and academic institutions, civil society, development partners, and the private sector.
He encouraged participants to use the forum to share experiences, identify practical solutions, and strengthen coordination toward scaling up agroecological practices across The Gambia.
