Twenty
women leaders involved in Forest and Farm Management met at the Pakalinding
Trans-Gambia Lodge, Lower River Region, ON 3 and 4 April 2017 to establish a
national platform.
The
platform is aimed at promoting women’s leadership and advocacy for the
inclusion of gender and interests of women in policies and mechanisms of
Sustainable Management of Forests and Farms in The Gambia.
The
process was facilitated by the Department of Forestry, National Farmers
Platform of The Gambia and All Gambia Forestry Platform with funding from Food
and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations (FAO) through Forest and
Farm Facility (FFF) Initiative.
According
to Mr Kanimang Camara, National Facilitator of FFF The Gambia, said the support
was provided in the context of a regional programme in support of African
Women’s Network for Community Management of Forests (REFACOF).
REFACOF
was founded during the international conference on forest tenure, governance
and enterprise, held in Yaoundé, Cameroon, from 25 to 29 May 2009.
REFACOF
is the outcome of an initiative by 45 women leaders of different countries of
West Africa (Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Senegal) and Central Africa (Burundi,
Cameroon, Gabon, CAR, DRC) who play an active role in the ongoing land and
forest tenure reform processes both nationally and globally, with the goal of
ensuring that land and forest tenure rights are recognised and secured.
The mission of
REFACOF, which was
refined during the
international planning workshop in 2010, is to promote women’s
rights in Africa and advocate to shape policies and practices for gender equity
in relation to land and forest tenure.
REFACOF
intends to consolidate its position as a major actor for the promotion of land
and forest rights of women in Central and West Africa.
Mr
Cherno Gaye, head of Participatory Forest Management Unit at the Department of
Forestry, outlined the processes employed since 2016 to date with an intended
outcome of establishing The Gambia platform.
Among
the activities implemented are mapping of women stakeholders groups in the
fields of agriculture and forest management in The Gambia, and strengthening
capacity of women leaders on simple forest management techniques, approaches
and participatory forest management concepts.
According
to Cherno, the task of the meeting was to set up a platform of women groups
identified during the mapping exercise and the conducted trainings alongside
the development of an action plan for the implementation of activities
identified by the platform.
With
facilitation support from Natural Resources Consulting, participants developed
a Draft Constitution and a 5-year strategic plan to implement key priority
focus areas for the promotion of women leadership rights on tree and land
tenure as well as policy processes.
The
National Executive Committee of the Platform was selected by the General
Assembly with representation from the 7 Agricultural Regions of The Gambia.
Mrs Aunty Rohey Ceesay of Kuntaur Central
River Region North “Musu Fondinkeh Kaafoo”, involved in rice production and
tree seedlings, was elected as the Platform president for the next 2 years.
In
her acceptance speech, Anty Rohey Cessay emphasised cordial working
relationship and collaboration of Forest and Farm Producer Organizations
(FFPOs) with FFF Programme of FAO in terms of organising FFPOs for policy
engagements and support to markets to enable sustainable management of forests
and farms in The Gambia since its inception in 2013.
She
commended her female colleagues in West and Central Africa for initiating this
laudable programme.
The
president-elect informed the participants that the formation of Gambia Platform
on African Women’s Network for Community Management of Forests (REFACOF) has
been realised in recognition of the great benefits of unification of women
involved in Community Forest Management and Farms under one representative
body.
The
general role of REFACOF The Gambia Platform was to support and contribute to
the protection and conservation of the forest landscapes within The Gambia,
whilst maximizing benefits to its members as well as carrying out advocacy at
the level of Government and the international development partners for the
implementation of reforms.
The
President of National Farmers Platform of The Gambia and coordinator of All
Gambia Forestry Platform both provided statements geared towards encouraging
the National Executive Committee and Regional delegates to strengthen the
capacity of their members in achieving the mandates set forth in REFACOF.