Women gardeners in Jariumeh Koto in Sami District, Central River Region, said it has been three weeks without enough water for their beds.
The garden was one of the most promising in the region. The garden has over 120 women working in it but their efforts are about to go in vain.
The borehole that was serving the garden has got a breakdown for more than three weeks without repair.
According to women gardeners, the breakdown is a big setback for them.
Fulo Kanteh, the women vice president for the garden, expressed disappointment with the situation, saying they could neither sleep nor eat since the breakdown occurred.
“All our hopes are in this garden. We now depend on fetching water from open wells which cannot serve all our beds. Some women go to the village to fetch water and use donkey carts to transport it to the garden,” she explained.
Nadindingma Tunkara says fetching water from the village and transporting it to the garden will not solve their problem. Some women would wake up as early as 6 a.m. just to get water for the onion beds, she laments, saying their survival depends on the garden hence appeals to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) or any other philanthropist(s) who could assist in repairing their borehole.
Samakung Dansira, another gardener, says their livelihood, including payment of their children’s school fees, comes from the garden.
Mamabakary Ceesay, for her part, says their produce has been serving people across the country and therefore appeals for an immediate bailout.
According to them, they also contacted the contractor of the borehole who promised to go and fix it but he is yet to do so.
They said they have notified officials of the Ministry of Agriculture within the region.
The garden and the construction of the borehole were sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
