Dr Jaiteh
  Thanks for such a comment.On the tractor issue I wander whether the regime access the environmental impact of such mechinasation in a semi-arid climatic region like our country and small holder farming. Erosion of the fertile topsoil is a serious environmental issue affecting both upland and lowland ecologies.With many researcher advocating for zero tillage machinisation of land tillaging need serious environmental impact assessment. If need be it need to be intergrate with soil and water conservation issues, land management,agroforestry etc
  On issues relating to education the point you mentioned is the method a country like Ghana is apply. Ghana is using two years work visa programme which United Kingdom allocate to member common wealth countries for their national to come and work in United Kingdom. Such programme enable their recent graduate to be able to pay their student loans while in United Kingdom. Recent research proof that remittance of foreign national have more impact on poverty eradication and if well organise it serve a source of revenue for Government in the forms shares, investment, capital transfer etc.
  Once again what a great suggestion but unfortunate our leaders back home still with unrealistic and outdated vision 2020 which nothing order than self aggrandisement.

Malanding Jaiteh <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
  If one is to go by the NADD Manifesto, The Alliance's Document and the 
statement by SoS Touray that the APRC government is to provide farmers 
500 tractors, looks like Gambians are poised for the same old, same old 
- dump more of our hard borrowed cash into the agriculture basket. By 
now it should be clear to all that the trouble in the agricultural 
sector is more than just lack of funding. Few would disagree that 
dispite two governments, aid from two Chinas plus the West and even 
Iran, countless Departments of Agriculture, projects (Mixed Farming, 
GARD, Jahali-Pacharr, LADEP) institutions and agencies (NARI, NADA), 
and billion of Dalasi, the Gambia is neither self-sufficient in food 
production nor has it increase earning from agriculture. Infact the 
contribution of agriculture to our national economy has been on the 
decline while all these is going on. Given the current state of the 
physical environment (climate and water resources) and economic 
environment (globalization and crop pricing), it is hard to imagine what 
agriculture can do for the Gambia.
Given the above, I would argue that it is high time we take a second 
look at agriculture (represented by the Axe and the Hoe on our coat of 
arm) as the engine to national development efforts since independence. 
I would go a step further to ask the incoming government (APRC, NADD or 
The Alliance) to make a "put man on the moon" kind of declaration on 
education. Cornerstone of this would be immediate expansion of the 
University system and begining 2010 to train free of charge:

2500 undergraduate degree and 100 graduates each year (2010 - 2015)
5000 undergrads and 500 graduate degrees ( after 2015)

In addition to free training, the government should negotiate with US, 
EU and other large economies to help provide these with temporary worker 
visa. In return the students will be required to pay through their 
employers 10% of their salary towards re-embursing the Gambia 
government. The idea is to borrow and invest in a product more 
marketable than peanuts.

Some back of the envelop calculation:
At the end of the fourth year, with 10000 students * $2,500 per year 
tuition is $25,000,000 (the cost of 500 tractors)
suppose 50% of those landed in a job in the UK or US ($35000) per year. 
Remittance at 10% of salary is $3,500 * 5000 = $17,500,000. Nay Bad! 
and defintely more than what we get from peanuts these days.
This would not include money sent home to family and friend, on 
vacations (knowing you do not have to worry about the visa office), on a 
retirement house or two (every Gambians wish).
Infact we are losing that many to immigration as we speak. Just that the 
ones we are losing now are less prepared to survive in Babilon, with 
barely a driver license much more a high school diploma to compete the 
skilled labor from Poland or Mexico.

Perhaps I am just dreaming. Certainly I do hope its a dream come true.

Malanding Jaiteh

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