Agriculture
is the backbone or the mainstay of The Gambian economy- this is evidenced by
numerous factors. It is estimated that about 75% of the population depends on
crops and livestock for its livelihood.
Small-scale
manufacturing activity features the processing of groundnut, fish, and animal
hides.
Short-run
economic progress remains highly dependent on foreign aid, and on responsible
government economic management as forwarded by International Monetary Fund
technical help and advice.
Therefore
it is very vital to come up with projects that would attract youths’ interest
in agricultural production, since agriculture is not only meant to ensure food
security, but also create employment.
“Agriculture
is the backbone of The Gambia not every country. You have other countries that
have oil and other things. But our own, our backbone is agriculture. That is
where our strength lies”, President Adama Barrow once said.
The
country will, with an open arms welcome the launching of the Agriculture for
Economic Growth and Food Security/Nutrition to Mitigate Migration Flows.
The
four years project which is funded by the European Union will help contribute to
sustainable growth in the agricultural sector and reduces food insecurity and
malnutrition to mitigate migration flows to Europe.
It’s
true that migration is an issue that grips not only Europe but Africa as well,
considering the number of young people the continent is losing to Europe.
Therefore using agriculture as a tool to stem the flow of migrants from Africa
could be an important factor, but must be a way that could simply attract the
young.
This
nation has never shy away from proudly saying that agriculture is its backbone,
but the question that remains always unanswered is what has so far been done to
meaningfully make agriculture one of the most lucrative ventures for young
people to venture in it.
However,
this project is an ambitious project, and according to experts, it is in line
with The Gambia national development priorities set to be implemented in North
Bank, Lower, Central and Upper River Regions through targeted interventions,
including school meals, agricultural investment and disaster risk management.
It
seeks to focus on resilience building to climate change, sustainable natural
resources management, market-oriented agricultural and natural resources sector
development and most importantly make agriculture attractive to the youthful population.
“Under
these circumstances, as the country a limited natural resource endowment, the
agriculture sector should continue to be given special attention and modernized
in a specific manner in order to generate growth and employment, both in the
rural areas and within the value chains,” FAO Country Rep. Dr. Perpetua Katepa
Kalala said of the project.
“Agriculture
is the backbone or the mainstay of The Gambian economy.”
The
Point