"……His reference to President Jammeh's call for our youths to return to the
land is also quite appropriate here.
  This is so because when Jammeh tells us to return to the land he is not
referring to those who are already
  there. He is referring basically to those without the skills or education to
compete for the limited jobs in the
  GBA but who, nontheless, would rather be roaming about our streets and doing
nothing gainful."

Jungle,

Our attitude to what development is, in my opinion, is what is sometimes
difficult to understand. The decadency in our towns is not because there are
farmland lying barren just waiting for youths to plug their heads into
tractors and change their status from been pest "roaming about our streets and
doing nothing gainfull" to become professional farmers.
What is real and the truth is that we have a government that prefers taking
loan to build a four lane highway in the middle of the biggest town in our
country whiles our farmer continue to struggle with a back breaking hoe in a
futile attempt to feed a nation rapidly growing and promote economic
development. It is not poor "uneducated" farmers who are thinking this way, it
is the Dr, and half educated and well educated people who are doing such
thinking.
Going by the geography of rice production in our country, you will find out
that even at the surroundings of Gambia high school, as late as the 70s urban
dwellers were growing rice there.
The call for a return back to the land is a call for political consumption,I
will come to that. This call even if sincere, is not seriously taking note to
the need of our nation. The call is geared towards the urban youths and my
argument is that, we don't need more farmers, better the condition (Socaily,
economically and technically) of the farmers we have and our food problem will
be solved. It is as simple as this and anything else is political propaganda.

Why because, unemployment has not been reduced in the urban areas, since this
government came to power, it has been increasing, there is the Rural /urban
migration rapidly taking palce, because farming have become more and more
impossible to live by, not even a decent two meal a day is easy. We read this
every now and then in Gambian newspapers. The state has not been able to
create jobs and her policy, on for example, the groundnut-growing sector, is
creating more uneploytment. Instead of using her energy to address this
serious situation, the state behaves as if the problem is that urban youths
don't want to work but there is work to do. The same sentiments you expressed
at the end of your above quoted statement.

".. At least such people would be able to make our
  farmers better understand how certain farming practices may be more
appropriate than others. They would
  also be in a better position to use fertilizers more appropriately as well
as a more effective use of manure and
  compost. This line of thought is supported by Dr. Edgar, when he wrote:"

If you, President Jammeh and the Dr believed that what is needed here are
technical experts to guide our farmers in the technicalities of farming, why
make it a political jargon when all you need is to build educational training
facilities and more emphasis on agriculture in the educational curriculum at
all level, all of which are at the disposal of president Jammeh.But if you,
the Dr and President believed that an educated farmer is more productive than
the uneducated then this will mark the first failure on the way  for a more
productive farming for sufficient food production.And jungle,you and the DR
should by now understand that there are very few farmers in this world who
care less about a college certificate and this did not make them poor farmers.
You don't need any formal education to become a good farmer. The problem is
not even that our farmers are uneducated (illiterates) thus are poor farmers
and not able to produce enough food, the problem is that the majority of our
farmers are still using a back breaking hoe and getting paid.
Simple thinking, what is the on going programme for the majority of the
Gambian population who are the "uneducated" farmers? Will those are not paid
get their monies? what will happen to them if the most productive sector in
farming is controlled by the "educated" youths? Another important thing that
you and the Dr are not informing us about China, is that farming in some areas
is of high technical quality, Chine is producing and selling rice but there
are Chinese who are very hungry because they are poor. Your"line of thought"
might very well succeed in marking Gambia a high quality rice producing nation
whiles Gambians go hungry. Just like the other story we read in the
Independent newspaper, that people were complaining for not been able to buy
fish because it is not available in the market, and Gambia is one of the few
remaining big fishing nations.

For freedom
saiks































>===== Original Message From The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
<[log in to unmask]> =====
>As a small contribution, I wish to point out that "self-sufficiency" in food
may not always be a realistic goal given the ever changing conditions for
agricultural production and of world economy. What may be more realistic to
aim at is food security. If we can't produce it ourselves we should be
economically strong enough to purahse it.
>  ----- Original Message -----
>  From: Jungle Sunrise
>  To: [log in to unmask]
>  Sent: 02 June, 2002 3:53 PM
>  Subject: Re: Something for the weekend.
>
>
>  Saiks wrote:
>
>  "Why is it that more than half of our population are involved in
agriculrural production and still hungry,whiles in America and Europe a very
few percent of their population are involved in food production and have
enough food for themselves and the left overs for us(Food Aid) ?The truth is
that, agricultural production is very backward in our country and not
industrilised,been at the stage it is,there will be no enough labour power to
produce enough food for ourselves".
>
>  Saiks, Dr. Edgar answered your querries when he wrote:
>
>  "Given the necessary investment and programs, The Gambia should be
self-sufficient in rice production in 5 to 10 years."
>
>  The above statement gives hope to the average Gambian who relies on the
daily intake of rice for survival and a challenge for government to provide
"the necessary investment and programs".
>
>  He then talks of the need for diversification when he wrote:
>
>  "Of course, the potentials for agricultural production are not limited to
rice production only. There are vegetable crops, fruit production and
aquaculture".
>
>  He also acknowledged the daunting task that the average farmer has to
overcome when he wrote:
>
>  "However agricultural production is not cheap and easy either. Initial
investments and technical know-how are essential; social and cultural changes
are necessary for its success. Expensive or difficult, there is no alternative
to a healthy development (note: more than economic development) other than
agricultural development initially.
>
>  He then posits that:
>
>  "Only through the surplus from the agricultural sectors, the small-medium
business and industrial sectors can take off".
>
>  [All emphsis mine]
>
>  Do you not agree with the above statement?
>
>  If you agree with the above statement and the ones before it, then I do not
see why you ask the following questions:
>  "Who told him we have shortage of agricultural labour force in our
country,the crude nature of agricproduction is not only a health hazard(back
breaking,early old age) for the majority of our population but a contributing
factor to the destruction of the eco-system in our country,just think of all
the bush fires for more farm lands and etc.Think of the massive poverty caused
by farming in the country and yet still we are demanding for more farmers.A
better organization of farming is more of our need now and not more farmers".
>
>  You again wrote:
>
>  "His discussion of the eco-system seems confussing but should direct that
too to the president,that having crocodiles pounds and other animals at
Kaninlia are equally dangerous to the eco-system, because it is not their
natural breeding place.
>
>  Saiks,
>
>  Dr. Edgar's reference to ecology and ecosystems was to give us an idea of
from what perspective he was seeing agriproduction that is sustainable and can
act as a catalyst for the development of small-medium businesses as well as
nations.
>
>  His reference to President Jammeh's call for our youths to return to the
land is also quite appropriate here. This is so because when Jammeh tells us
to return to the land he is not refering to those who are already there. He is
refering basically to those without the skills or education to compete for the
limited jobs in the GBA but who, nontheless, would rather be roaming about our
streets and doing nothing gainful.
>
>  Secondly, if we agree that the way agriculture has been practised in the
country since time immemorial has not yielded much dividents, then I believe
we ought to rethink our farming methods and strategies; and who better to do
that than the educated and semi-educated. At least such people would be able
to make our farmers better understand how certain farming practices may be
more appropriate than others. They would also be in a better position to use
fertilizers more appropriately as well as a more effective use of manure and
compost. This line of thought is supported by Dr. Edgar, when he wrote:
>
>  "Sure enough, the average output per hectare increased from 1.15 tons to 5
tons. The team with The Gambia Agricultural Experimentation Station is trying
to improve the production by a new strain Nerica (New Rice for Africa), and
improve the soil condition".
>
>  This was possible because of research done by the Taiwanese Agricultural
Team in the country and their Gambian counterparts. These people carried out
research with over 800 species of rice and finally selected the best 6
varities that are better adapted to The Gambian lowland environment, and to
the rain-fed conditions. The absolute majority of our farmers can be here for
the next 300 years and they will never come this close if they are still left
on their own to do things they've always done them!
>
>  The fact that:
>
>  "All in all, in less than 5 years, the areas of rice paddies in The Gambia
have increased to 6350 hectares. Annual production of rice almost doubled from
18,950 tons in 1996 to 34,100 tons in 2000, saving more than $3 million
foreign exchange for importing rice.
>
>  Great potential to expand areas for rice production exist in The Gambia.
Currently, plans are underway to design and develop tidal irrigation system to
increase the areas to more than 400 hectares in five years. Potentials for the
areas utilising the rain resource during the rainy season also exist.
According to the estimate, additional increase in rice production 115,600 tons
per year is not an unreachable target",
>
>  can also be attributed to educated people showing a selected population of
farmers how they can better farm rice.
>
>  You again wrote:
>
>  "Off course there are external factors,but overshadow by the internal
ones.Thinking here more the hypocritical standpoint of both the World Bank and
other financial institutions on the question of agricultural subsidy,whiles
denying third world government to do that,the richest nation in the
world,USA,is still involved in subsidising agricultural farming and here is a
country with over production of agricultural food.Well I can understand this
gentlman of the eco-system,that he has a political programme to promote,but it
is much more better for him to hold on to that than involved himself in our
politics with so a heavy opinoin,without having much knowledge of our poverty
problems Turn our youths to scientists and keep them off the land,pay the
farmers their Moines so that they can be more productive".
>
>  Finally Saiks, Dr. Edgar's reference to China's policy of not paying much
attention to agriculture but instead focussing more on industrialisation is
something that should worry the average poor nation, particularly those in
sub-Saharan Africa. This is because we are not in a position to compete with
China for world-market food products when the liveihood or security of their
state depends on it.
>
>  At the moment, there is zilch we can do about farm subsidies by either the
EU or America except grumble and plead with them. There is also very little we
can do about the worldbanks and IMFs of this world who, while prohibiting us
from giving subsidies to our farmers completely stay mute about subsidies by
the EU and the USA. For these reasons, we need to diversify agriproduction so
as to at least be able to feed ourselves and have some surplus to market. I am
sure both the EU and American scientists are busy researching how to cheaply
produce those traditional third world produce. It is therefore our collective
responsibility to advise each other as to how to do things differently and
better.
>
>  Have a good day, Gassa.
>
>  There is a time in the life of every problem when it is big enough to see,
yet small enough to solve. -Mike- Levitt-
>
>
>
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