The Manager of the ‘Master Farmer Family Farm’ in Toro Bah village, Lower Baddibu in North Bank Region (NBR), Mr. Sainey Loum has said he was born in a family whose livelihoods largely depend on farming, and that has motivated him to venture into agriculture.
The rural farmer indicated to Mansa Banko Online during a recent interview that agriculture offers “the fastest employment creation opportunities” in the country; but he opines the level of rural-urban migration and development disparities don’t allow youth to stay and succeed within their communities.
Expounding on the venture, the Family Farm Manager said they are mostly involved in the cultivation of cash crops such as maize, groundnut and millets. Loum disclosed the 2 acres garden farm, fitted with a proper borehole for horticultural and poultry production, was pioneered by his elder brother Mr. Mamadou Loum. He claimed they were able to create an alternative source of livelihood since they no longer depend only on wet season farming.
According to the Toro Bah farmer, they were also able to inspire many other community members “to venture into vegetable production at the time when many believe that [vegetable cultivation] is a woman’s job”. That, they were able to provide fresh and healthy products to valuable customers.
However, Loum admitted some setbacks, in that selling their farm produce sometimes becomes a daunting task. Besides, having a proper and up-to-date record system is still another challenge that is hindering their progress, he divulged.
The Development Studies graduate from the University of The Gambia (UTG) and ex-student of Nusrat Senior Secondary School (NSSS) decried the current unsuited condition of their garden fence which makes it possible for stray animals to invade the farm, and consequently, making cultivation difficult, thus resulting to poor production since the beginning of the farming year.
Loum is also planting trees in the garden and surrounding areas to help fight against climate change, hoping that would reduce the effects of climate change. He recalled starting the garden with a credit from Reliance Financial Services through its micro-finance schemes, which he used to erect the borehole and fence. While revealing repayment of the loan was a huge challenge, Farm Manager Loum however, said it was settled eventually.
In 2014, he went on, the Farm received some support from the United States Peace Corps Service in The Gambia, regarding the maintenance of the borehole, fencing and some training of other local farmers on some agricultural best practices.
“My plan is to mobilize resources for year-round production on all arable land belonging to our family. As of today, more than 10 hectares of land is wasting during the nine months of dry season,” Loum pointed out.
On marketing, he said the weekly marketing avenues locally called (lumos) create opportunities to farmers like him since most of their crops are highly perishable and susceptible to post-harvest losses. He further cited financial indiscipline and lack of proper storage facilities as obstacles but was hopeful that a remedy to these challenges is on the horizon.
Furthermore, he disclosed, the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted their operations and production activities because the lumos were shutdown- which multiplied their marketing challenges.
In conclusion, Loum urged government and potential funders to help youth access funding, in order to help the country achieve national food self-sufficiency.
