The
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has reaffirmed
its commitment to supporting efforts aimed at strengthening Forest and Farm
Producer Organizations in The Gambia for improved livelihoods and sustainable
national resources management.
It has just given a D3.6 million to the
National Farmers Organisation, and renewed its commitment to supporting other forest
and farmer producer organizations in The Gambia.
We would like to applaud the FAO for
its timely support to these organisations, as we believe this will contribute to the improved
livelihoods and sustainable national resources management of the country, since
the intervention is designed to “strengthen
smallholder, women, communities and producer organizations for
business/livelihoods and policy engagement”.
The
support is also expected to increase the capacities of Forest and Farm Producer
Organizations on Business development and market linkages, among essential
areas of growth for improved Forest and Farm Management.
Furthermore, the capacity building of
farmers and members of the Forest
and Farm Producer Organizations, including Community Forest Management
Committees (CFMCs), in such aspects as project proposal writing and resource
mobilization, would help to enhance the knowledge of farmers in the country,
and earn them some decent livelihood and by extension systematic growth in the
agricultural sector and the national economy.
The
FAO has, indeed, been playing key role in keeping the nation’s agricultural
sector growing.
We
would, therefore, like to applaud them for the timely intervention in the country’s
agricultural sector.
“Agriculture
not only gives riches to a nation, but the only riches she can call her own. ”
Samuel
Johnson
