By Suwaibou Darboe
Stakeholders in the agriculture sector in The Gambia last Saturday signed a local Convention on the Establishment and Management of Livestock Tracks, Rangeland and Drinking Facilities.
The Convention, a set of by-laws, was signed after a meeting at Demfai village attended by village heads, the chief of Sami District, and the governor of Central River Region.
The objective is to mitigate or totally eradicate frequent conflicts that exist between farmers and the livestock owners, according to the Department of Livestock Services, which developed the Convention in partnership with the National Livestock Owners Association and the Food and Agriculture Organization.
The agreement is expected to address the problem of livestock owners trekking into the production areas and causing lot of destructions to the crops cultivated. This transhumance and nomadic instinct brought the idea of mapping out strategic areas that will pinpoint the demarcation lines between the production areas, the grazing areas, and drinking points for animals.
Fafanding Fatajo, Project Coordinator, Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change, said that the initiative came at a time when both the crop and livestock farmers need it most.
He said that the tracks are specifically for large and small ruminants. The specified length between the track and crop fields is 15 meters. “This is wide enough to avoid animals intruding into the crop fields,” he said. “Famers should not under any circumstance cultivate within the tracks as it may bring back previous problems [of conflict between farmers and herders].”
As part of the initiative, boreholes will be excavated alongside the tracks to facilitate access to water by both local and foreign animals in Demfai cluster. Fatajo said the beneficiaries should take good care of the facilities as it will improve their livelihood.
Ebrima O. Jallow, President of the National Livestock Owners Association, said that this initiative will create an avenue of peace for the beneficiaries.
“I am recommending that this project should work hand-in-glove with the central government of The Gambia in order to improve animal husbandry in this country,” he said.
