The West African Network of Peasant Organisation and Agricultural Producers (ROPPA) last Friday 22nd June, held a one-day consultative forum at the Friendship Hostel, Independence Stadium, Bakau.

Established on July 6th 2000 in Cotonou Republic of Benin, ROPPA objective is to promote, train peasants, restore, create solidarity, foster cooperation and equally defend the values of performing and sustainable peasant agriculture at the service of small farms and agricultural producers.

Speaking at the ceremony, Alagie Kebbeh, Director of Nayats, said capacity- building for peasant producers of West Africa is crucial, and noted that The Gambia is recognised to be the first Anglo-phone country to join ROPPA.
According to him, the organisation believes in the values of farmers in the sub-region, especially the indigenous farmers.  “We are not against commercial farming.  This organisation has joined the peasant farmers around the world as food self-sufficiency is on the targets of the indigenous farmers”, he noted.

According to him, farmers are marginalised as they are not able to compete with monsters. He then added that, it is part of their plans and are working very hard to set up a secretariat that will enable farmers around the world.
Ousman Yabo, Director of Tango, urged members to be hard working as his organisation is willing to support them with the necessary advice whenever the need arises.

Declaring the forum opened, Sulayman Trawally, Permanent Secretary at the DoSA, on behalf of SoS Kanja Sanneh, said this consultative forum is organised to enable stakeholders reflect on the ideas and concepts of ROPPA-NACOFAG in order to pave the way forward for farmers.

According to him, The Gambia with a population of 1.5m people is highly reliant on the Agricultural, which employees 80% of the population. “In view of this, the government of The Gambia attaches great important to the Agricultural sector. You will bear with me that enhanced agricultural production through marginalisation and improvement of farming techniques will help bring about household food security and the achievement of MDGs in reducing both national and global hunger by the targets date 2015”, he said.
He added that the government of The Gambia is committed to reducing poverty through PRSP. “In a nutshell, economic growth can hardly happen in any country without the development of the agricultural sector. 

He finally emphasised that farmers’ network like ROPPA-NACOFAG would certainly create an enabling environment to preserve farmers interaction, learning and sharing experience on strategies employed in various farming methods.
Speaking earlier, Munlati Gassama, President of ROPPA, said it was established in a bid to secure membership so as to enable the peasant farmers and agricultural producers to realise the ideas as stipulated in the regional objectives.

He called on members to face the challenges ahead. He later expounded on the expectations and development of ROPPA. The forum was attended by stakeholders in agricultural related areas, among others.