(Thursday 17 October 2019 Issue)
The
project, titled-Small Ruminant Production and Enchantments (SSRPEP), will focus
on livestock production across the country. It is to be one of the biggest
livestock projects in the country and targets about 30, 000 households.
Speaking
at the launch, Amie Fabureh, the Minister of Agriculture, acknowledged that the
livestock sub-sector is critical and vital for overall economic growth and in
meeting food security goals of the country.
Minister Fabureh maintained that it would
provide employment especially in the rural areas and contribute about 8% of the
national economy.
Most
of the livestock producers, she went on, live in the rural areas raising mainly
cattle, sheep, and goats under- rain-fed mixed farming and traditional
extensive production systems along with backyard poultry production.
She
indicated that the livestock sub-sector has potential of reducing poverty and enhancing
food security, though the sector has long been treated as an appendage only to
crop agriculture, with both policymakers and development practitioners giving
priority to staple crops over high -value agriculture process such as fruits,
vegetables and animal -sources foods.
“In addition, livestock interventions have
been mostly of a technical nature, focusing on the elements of animal
husbandry, feeding, nutrition and disease control”.
Agric
minister underscored that the four-year project will be financed through a
2-step financing approach and will consist of four major components.
“First
improvement of small ruminant production, processing, and marketing, secondly,
access to Islamic financing and support to capacity building and thirdly,
master plan development for livestock value chains and the fourth is project
management and coordination. The total project cost is USD26.81 million”.
The
development objectives, she added, is to contribute to the overall improvement
of the livelihood of pastoral communities in The Gambia by strengthening the
productivity and resilience of rural communities and stimulating business
entrepreneurship on the livestock sector.
“The
project is national in both design and intent. It will be implemented in 39
districts across all the regions of the country. The Project is expected to
reach more than 30,000 households engaged in small ruminants’ production and
successful in modernizing their operation through access to finance and new
technologies”.
