A nation featuring a river flowing across it, rich flatlands, and women prepared to cultivate them. Still, it imports four-fifths of its basic food supplies. Three farmers, one growing season, and how things change once funding eventually comes.
In certain seasons, stability is fleeting. Fences collapse, rainfall comes at inappropriate times, and efforts spanning weeks vanish within a single night. For women cultivating in The Gambia’s small-scale farms and rice paddies, such conditions aren’t rare occurrences—they represent the usual cycle they’ve come to expect. This reality makes every instance where things do remain steady far more significant than just a successful crop.
Abibatou Sonko had visited this place previously—rows of onions meticulously cared for, only to be destroyed during the night. At the Tanji Women's Garden Scheme, located 32 kilometers south of Banjul, goats managed to break through the fence and consume all that had been constructed over several weeks. She and her colleagues gathered their strength and began anew; year after year. “There were times when me and my female companions put in such effort yet ended up losing nearly everything,” she remembered. “Honestly, it was disheartening.” There were instances, she acknowledges, where she wondered if keeping going was truly worthwhile.
During the last season, she collected 31 sacks of onions. None were lost, nor diminished. Thirty-one sacks, valued at approximately 1,000 Gambian dalasi ($14) per sack; altogether, the yield amounted to about $435—representing multiple months of steady family earnings in an area where financial stability is uncommon. Positioned next to the land she never gave up on, these sacks served as evidence of a belief she nearly abandoned. She'll openly state that the key change came from using high-quality seeds provided by the P2-P2RS initiative. “In the previous year, goats ruined my crops,” she mentioned, standing near her successful harvest, “but this time, the superior seeds inspired me to keep going with farming. Now I'm feeling driven once more since I can witness the outcomes of our efforts.”
Her narrative reflects a contradiction that characterizes The Gambia. This nation features a river stretching along its full extent, millions of hectares of land suitable for irrigation, and rich farmland, all tended by women eager to cultivate it. Nevertheless, The Gambia imports approximately 81 percent of the rice it consumes—a basic food item eaten at an annual rate of 117 kilograms per individual, nearly double the world average. The problem has never lay in the quality of the earth itself but rather in seeds that fail to thrive, agricultural supplies that never reach their destination, barriers that cannot be maintained, and marketplaces offering no assurance. Abibatou’s goats are not just incidental details—they symbolize every obstacle preventing Gambian farmers from achieving a successful yield.
This is what the current projects aim to transform, methodically, on a large scale, throughout the nation. Through Project 2 of the Program for Enhancing Resilience against Food and Nutritional Vulnerability in the Sahel (P2-P2RS), an initiative worth $17.75 million supported jointly by the African Development Fund (ADF), farmers in 19 districts within the Lower River, Central River, and West Coast regions are beginning to receive better quality seeds, mechanical tilling services, solar-driven irrigation systems, and environmentally friendly agricultural supplies. For numerous communities, continuous farming all year round is now emerging as a feasible option.
The P2-P2RS supports 67,200 individuals directly and indirectly. It is among three key AfDB-backed agricultural initiatives operating in The Gambia at present, along with the Regional West Africa Resilient Rice Value Chains Development Programme (REWARD), which was introduced nationwide in July 2025. This initiative aims to assist 8,000 families and reach 120,000 people through advanced irrigation setups, enhanced seed networks, and better access to markets. Collectively, these projects mark the highest level of agricultural funding the nation has experienced.
Why is food insecurity the main issue in The Gambia?
In The Gambia, rice goes beyond being just sustenance—it represents the stability of a family’s well-being. When there isn’t enough rice, all aspects of life become more challenging: kids stop attending school, women accumulate loans, and households face breakdown due to lack of resources. The difference between what the nation uses and what it generates creates an ongoing stressor influencing choices made daily in most rural homes.
The architectural difficulty stems from overlapping limitations: reliance on farming without irrigation in a nation where precipitation is both seasonal and becoming more unpredictable; restricted availability of verified seeds and materials that truly work in regional environments; insufficient facilities for handling crops after harvest, leading to loss of worth from farm to marketplace; and the lack of consistent purchasers, which hinders preparation.
Binta Ceesay, a farmer and vegetable grower from Buiba Village, expressed it like this: "The climate-resistant verified seeds, fertilizers, and farming techniques training I obtained through the initiative have entirely transformed how I cultivate crops. Even with shifting weather patterns, my production has increased, and I'm currently yielding more than ever before." This statement, which notes that although the weather changed, the harvest didn’t decline, precisely captures the resilience that decades of insufficient investment previously prevented from being developed.
Every one of the three initiatives targets a distinct aspect of the same issue. P2-P2RS provides small-scale farmers with improved seeds and free tilling, eliminating the input barriers that have traditionally limited productivity despite their efforts. REWARD develops irrigation systems that enable continuous farming throughout the year, breaking away from reliance on just one wet season. Meanwhile, the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP completes the cycle by ensuring market access: linking what farmers cultivate directly to school meal programs, allowing 39,397 students to enjoy daily lunches made from locally grown food, and enabling farmers to make long-term plans.
What a stable market undergoes
What a consistent marketplace experiences
What a dependable economic environment faces
What a steady commercial sector encounters
What a trustworthy financial system goes through
Improved seeds address one issue. A dependable buyer tackles another, often more significant challenge. A farmer capable of producing more yet unable to sell consistently remains someone without stability. The GAFSP initiative confronts this head-on by linking small-scale farming production with The Gambia’s school meal program, ensuring that crops grown by local farmers are bought within the country and used to provide food for 39,397 students. There is a clear purchaser. Prices have been set. Farmers can now prepare for the upcoming season based on certainty rather than uncertainty.
"Prior to this program, I grew crops not knowing who would buy them or if they'd receive a reasonable price. Now, I am able to organize my farming activities confidently, make investments to grow my land, and regularly provide fresh produce to schools. The consistent earnings I have gained have enhanced my family’s quality of life and restored my optimism for what lies ahead," said Satou Hata, an aggregrator and farmer from Mamud Fana Village, The Gambia.
This term, "plan," holds significant importance. Abibatou can now structure her upcoming season using seeds she has confidence in. Binta Ceesay can make plans based on the weather forecast; she no longer feels the same level of fear regarding it. Satou Hata Ceesay can base her planning on a solid agreement rather than taking risks. Beyond achieving improved crop yields, what unites these three women is a future they can envision sufficiently to commit to. This reflects how agricultural change appears from within—a farmer who sleeps assured about what she'll sow the following day.
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67,200
primary and secondary recipients of P2-P2RS within 19 regions
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120,000
individuals who benefit from the REWARD initiative indirectly
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39,397
students being provided with daily food supplies made from ingredients grown nearby on local farms
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$17.75M
Investment P2-P2RS jointly funded by the African Development Fund
© 2026 African Development Bank. All rights reserved. Published by AllAfrica Global Media (Ants).
Tagged:
Economy, Business and Finance,
Gambia,
Women and Gender,
Food and Agriculture,
West Africa
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