From planting seeds to managing small businesses in Gambia
Association ofAssociation of Farmers, Educators, and Traders (AFET)
Some 400 women in the communities of Toniataba, Somita, Faraba Banta, and Bakendik, Gambia, are taking part in a CWS-supported project to develop their gardening and business skills. The Association of Farmers, Educators, and Traders is helping poor farmers to meet their needs and develop their communities in a way that is sustainable and environmentally friendly.
The Gambia is a small republic in West Africa with 1.4 million inhabitants. Some 75 percent of the people depend on crops and livestock for their livelihoods. A shortage of rainfall has caused a decrease in yields of peanut and millet, the income-oriented crops. The decrease, coupled with a growing population, means the men cannot produce enough income to take care of all household needs. So the burden to produce income increasingly falls upon the women, to help feed the family and take care of children's health and education needs.
Half of the 400 women in the project are undertaking vegetable gardening and the other half are taking part in small business activities like tie-dye, selling firewood, and processing food. The women are learning to design plans to help make their village gardens and/or micro-businesses into more dependable and profitable income generating opportunities. The project is designed with an expectation of empowering women to move from simple gardeners to business people.
The gardening group members are learning about garden management, pest control, production planning, and cultivation techniques so that they can create more efficient, higher yielding gardens. The design portion of the training is helping them to use their scarce resources most productively.
AFET helps to equip the community gardens with wells and chain link fencing. The participants are provided small gardening tools. The vegetable gardens are helping the communities to diversify their sources of nutrition.
Each community has a garden association which is working hand-in-hand with AFET professionals to create business plans for subsequent garden seasons.
Your support for Church World Service, along with a grant from the United Methodist Committee on Relief, help make this program possible.
Updated 3/11/2008
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