Since the beginning of this year’s farming season, the people of The Gambia have continued to render selfless assistance to President Jammeh’s farm.

While many were seen weeding the farms, others have entered the crop maturing stage of cultivation. 

During the weekend, many people in the Fonis and Jarra converged at the President’s farms to render assistance to him, by weeding, while others were seen transplanting rice seedlings to paddy areas. 

This was the time when journalists, together with the Kanilai Farm Manager, Kora Faye, went round to some of these farms to assess the extent of works, and to see how plants were progressing there.

The delegation visited a seven- hectare rice farm dedicated to President Jammeh, by the villagers, when he requested for it during his Meet the People Tour in Bondali. 

According to the Farm Coordinator, Alhagie Ebrima Beyai, works to clear the thick bush began last year with a cultivation of coos. 

“This year, the people of Bintang Karanai started growing rice in June, but with the late arrival of tractors to assist in ploughing.

We had to wait until August, when everything was done. If it was not the late arrival of the tractor, the rice would have  done well, since it can mature in two months after cultivation”, he said.

A former National Assembly member for the area, Janko Sanyang, was among the workers on the Kasany Farm.

Speaking to reporters, he said “agriculture is the only sector that can bring sustainable development to the country”. 

To him, the whole country should take part in the President’s agricultural activities.  He also noted that they were able to cultivate only seven hectares of the 14-hectare farm, because of the lack of enough crops and transports to ferry people from their villages to the rice field.

“The peoples’ assistance to the President’s farming activities is due to his leadership qualities, which has all the time motivate people to take part in self-help activities, geared towards attaining food self-sufficiency, “ he outlined.

The District Chief, Alhagie Mustapha Camara, said the community of Foni Bintang Karanai will always go by the advice of the Gambian leader, since the proceeds from the farms are used to sponsor humanitarian projects, in both education and health sectors.

In Kanilai, students of the University of The Gambia were seen weeding at their 6.4 -hectare Maize Farm.

This is the only way the students of the university could complement government’s effort in developing education in the country.  The President of the University of the Gambia Students’ Union, Kemo Cham, commented that “since the President’s farming produce are used to sponsor education, the university students need the assistance most, since the majority of them cannot fund their education al career”.

Although, the proceeds from their farm cannot finance the education of all the students, Mr Cham, posited that the venture will serve as an inspiration to other students to take farming seriously.

According to the Coordinator, Famara Badjie, all students should respond to the back-to-the-land call.

He said “the students are anticipating a bumper harvest from the farm, since they have applied the first round of NPK fertiliser”.

On Sunday, the delegation visited a four-hectare rice field, cultivated by the people of Kalim and Kanjibat in Foni Bondali. 

The farm was given to the President; and at the moment weeding is completed and rice has begun to mature.

The same day, many people from Jarra were also at Jiranba, transplanting rice seedlings. 

The Jaranba Rice Field, was a concentration of rain water, in which dyke has been built, by the villagers to control the spread of water.

Going round these farms, one can conclude that Gambians have realised the need for them to participate in the President Jammeh’s agricultural activities-a venture they all know goes to develop the sectors of education, health and infrastructure.  As the cultivated rice fields are hatching, and about to mature, it is also the duty of the community to help in harvesting the crops for their assistance to be accomplished.