West Africa's bread basket

Small-scale family farmers are the most important people in the Gambia. A group that numbers a vast majority of the population, but is nevertheless widely neglected by the public, the media and most importantly by the people and organisations who rule this country. Loads of initiatives from governments, industry and NGO’s are coming towards the small-scale farmers. They all want to provide them with new technologies or methods of industrialized farming. They want to sell them fertilizers and chemicals to protect their crops. Very few, however, are focused on education, information, and empowerment; Why not? The harsh answer is: most people in charge, most politicians, agricultural suppliers, and traders in this country, do not have the slightest interest in sharing power. And this is also the main reason why dictatorial regimes are so keen on controlling their educational systems, controlling the press and sharing the information about what’s really happening in the country. There’s simply no free press in a dictatorial regime because the people in charge are not willing to share their power, just as they are not willing to share their money. Gambia could become West Africa's bread basket. Yes, poverty is widespread. At least 80 percent of all Gambians live in rural areas, with 70 percent depending entirely on agriculture. Most of them depend on a small plot for their daily needs. The country, however, have over 60% of undeveloped farmland. And with some small efforts smallholder farmers can easily double, sometimes even quadruple their harvest. All that’s needed is knowledge and independent information for small scaled farmers. A sustainable development goal can be reached if small-scale family farmers in the Gambia,particularly women should be the most important focus group for governments and if that happen you may see the metamorphose of a country in need to a country of plenty.