The Honourable Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Security, alongside his delegation, continued the nationwide tour with site visits in the Upper River Region (URR).
Stop 1: Kulari Women’s Vegetable Garden
Started by NEMA and completed by ROOTS, the 5-hectare garden is now home to an impressive 700 women members.
Impact:
Income from the 2025 dry season onion, tomato, and okra harvest reached D618,750
The garden has become a vital source of both food and income for women and their families
Challenges shared:
– Insufficient water for the garden
– Need to improve fencing and expansion
In response, the Honourable Minister praised the community’s hard work and revealed that the Regional Rice Value Chain Project is developing 50ha in Kulari for rice production — part of efforts to achieve national rice self-sufficiency by 2030. He assured that their concerns will be addressed.
Stop 2: Brifu – Wuli
Brifu is a new beneficiary of the ROOTS Subsidized Input Support Program for Rice.
✅ In 2025, they received:
– 25ha ploughing services
– 125kg Certified rice seeds
– Herbicides
– 150 bags of Fertilizer delivery scheduled for next week
Lady President shared:
“These are things we struggled to get before ROOTS. Now, we have hope. If we get a tractor, we believe we can feed the rest of URR.”
The community also appealed for:
– A new vegetable garden with better fencing and improved water access
The Minister commended their efforts and encouraged them to develop sustainability plans to ensure long-term impact. He assured the Ministry will review all concerns.
✅ The Permanent Secretary echoed this message, emphasizing the government’s commitment to supporting communities and achieving rice self-sufficiency across The Gambia.
The day concluded with visits to other project sites in the region.