Migration and Sustainable Development in The Gambia

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Facts and Figures

DDF Project Title
Agricultural Marketing for Rural Women
DDF Fellow Reference Number
DDF 49
Partner in The Gambia
Finance Action for Women (FAW)
Geographical Coverage
Rural
Period
2022 – 2023
DDF Grant
D300,000
Cash Contribution
D213,520
In-kind Contribution
Nil

Challenges and Opportunities

High and increasing youth population, urbanisation, and healthy food habits ensure increasing demand for agro-foods and opportunities in the food processing industry (FPI).  Higer demand means higher prices and expanded markets, guaranteeing higher incomes for rural women agripreneurs. 

However, there are major drawbacks in value-added rural agriculture, from disproportionate focus of women on food production only, to also limiting their enterprise to only the most basic food processing technologies; substandard packaging techniques; and informalization.

Prof. Aminata Sillah (USA)

DDF 49

Dr. Aminata Sillah is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and Public Administration at Towson University, Maryland, USA.  She also serves as a Development Advisor and Rapporteur at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology, The Gambia.

‘‘’ The entrepreneurial knowledge of most women farmers is limited to basic production methodologies ……. This project will create market linkages for rural women farmers in targeted regions of the country;  build their entrepreneurial knowledge, and skills on value addition activities, to boost supply of agro-food products to markets in rural and urban areas’’
~ Dr. Aminata Sillah, Project Lead.

About The Project

Prof. Sillah strives to unlock the big opportunities in the rural economy by helping to make markets and value chains work for rural women.  The project aims to create and strengthen sustainable market linkages for women in the FPI in Lower River Region (LRR), West Cost Region (WCR) and Upper River Region (URR).

DDF Results and Impact

  1. Signing Service Contract with 3 Women Kafoos (associations) namely; Hunger Free Gambia on Home Grown Food in Basse, Kaba Kama, URR; NYABO Kafoo in Jarra Barrow Kunda, LRR; and Bulock Kapongha in Foni, WCR.
  2. 93 beneficiaries (31 women in URR, 32 women in LRR and 30 women in WCR).
  3. Purchase of Processing, Packaging and Labelling Materials for the three communities’ practical
    • Providing market linkages for more than 90 women in rural and urban areas.
    • Linking project beneficiaries with super and minimarket owners; accepting products made by Gambian women; supply of home-made products to super and minimarket owners in rural and urban areas.
  1. Identification of two (2) Trainers for the Packaging and Labelling Two-day Trainings in URR, LRR and WCR.
  2. Provision of Training Halls for the Packaging and Labelling Training in three (3) regions- URR, LRR and WCR.
  3. Provision of Feeding for the 25 Women in each region- URR, LRR and W
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