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Gambia: Agriculture! Agriculture! Agriculture!
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The Daily Observer (Banjul)
28 April 2008
Posted to the web 29 April 2008
Gambians were once again stunned by the resilience of a man that never seizes to amaze his people. President Jammeh's latest "spot check" of important institutions came when it was least expected.
After two consecutive, punishing weeks of busily scheduled presidential states visits, one would think that the president, as soon as the last presidential jet departed Banjul International Airport, would take a much deserved retirement into the comfort of his Kanilai home. But no! That is not like him. Apparently, he had issues in his mind more important than having a rest.
We at the Daily Observer can hardly suppress our feelings about his choice of places of visit in particular. Agricultural institutions like NARI are indeed central to the philosophy of the back-to-the-land policy.
The already unveiled plans of the President with regards to the coming rainy season reiterates this, and it also emphasises his obsession with the policy of transforming the country's Agricultural sector, which is what has strengthened our resolve all the more, regarding our earlier pronouncement of 2008/2009 as year of Agriculture. The indication is that the political will is there.
We do not need anymore talking, as the trend has already been set. What is going on in Kanilai is enough of a model for Gambians. The wonderful work of the Tawinese will surely serve as a technical and moral booster for the sector.
All we need to do now as a nation is to institutionalise community based farming. In other words, with 40 districts across the country, if each of them, under the leadership of their respective chiefs, replicates the scenes in Kanilai, we surely will be on course to producing enough to feed the whole nation for a whole year.
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There are vast areas of land, uncultivated, doted across the length and breadth of the country. But come to think about it, as soon as someone expresses interest in cultivating it, another person will be sure of jumping from nowhere to claim it as their ancestral right. This, by and large, is what has been responsible for keeping our development at a distance.
But, of course, this will warrant some changes regarding land ownership in this country. It would be prudent therefore, that our lawmakers consider revisiting the land tenure act to allow government to use land whenever it deems it necessary, hence it is for the benefit of the entire nation.
It might as well do us good if we reconsider individual ownership of land, by leasing pieces of lands to Gambians who would want to farm, to a period of up to 99 years or so.
Landownership in Gambia should not be change by government intervention. Farmers owns their land so it becomes their constitutional right to use it as deem fit to them.What our government can do is to create incentives to encourage farmers back to land. Government can do this by first guaranteeing the purchase of farm product at good bargaining price after the seasoning is over. Second step in addressing this important issue is provide subsidies to farmers by way of cash advancement, farm equipments, farm fertilizers etc at little or no cost. Finally we must control inflation that affect farmers... [Read Full Text]
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