Tourism And Local Agricultural Produce Links In The Gambia

In combating this issue of supply and quality of agricultural produce, a collaboration between Haygrove (a UK fruit and flower grower) and a local Gambian charity, Concern Universal has been set-up. This initiative Gambia is Good (GiG) was started in Yundum, November '2005' to initially research the Gambian fresh produce market.

Their work identified a high value tourist hotel and restaurant market with a desire to buy high quality Gambian-grown produce. An interview with project manager of GiG, Kelly Tabourne Smeets was conducted, she acknowledged that GiG findings supported the views of the hotel and restaurant manager who had claimed, that there was an unreliable supply, and an inconsistent quality of produce. She stated that these shortages often occurred during peak tourist periods resulting in lack of products such as potatoes, carrots and onions which could be grown locally but had to be imported from Senegal and Europe.

In relation to cost she admitted that it was difficult to compete with the heavily subsidised agricultural market of the EU, she gave examples of this when she claimed that 20-kilo of onions could be purchased for a price as low as D 10. She also went on to discuss how there where many excellent horticulturalists working in poor village communities, but through their lack of contacts and business understanding they only sold produce to the tourism sector through 'middlemen' who took a disproportionate margin share.

This issue of 'middlemen' profiting from the work carried out by the women from other horticultural projects in Bakau and Bandjulnding was raised during interviews carried out with employees from both of these groups.

In an effort to counter these issues and maximise the economic potential for Gambian agricultural workers Kelly informed us how GiG provides an on-site two-year agricultural training programme that educates farmers in the use of different techniques and new technologies. This enables farmers to grow year round, and produce a product with the quality that is fit to be used within the tourist sector (500 farmers had been trained up to the time of this interview).

They have also established linkages with local hotel and restaurants, removing the 'middleman' ensuring that members of their foundation are not exploited and get a fair price for their product, resulting in an improvement in their economic situation. According to research carried out by GiG the introduction of programmes such as this has reduced 'leakages' in this industry with 45% to 50% of fruit and vegetables supplied to the tourist sector now locally supplied. Kelly also informed us that GiG intended to develop this programme in regards to egg production, where yet again many of the tourist sector where outsourcing this product.

Kelly also discussed the extended benefits of this initiative in regards to its impact on distant agricultural localities, as all of their trained farmers who originate from these areas return and provide step down training for their communities who existed on mainly subsistence farming. In developing their skills with the support of GiG trained farmers, economic opportunities have been created for these poor communities to prosper from the linkages provided through supplying agricultural produce to the tourist industry.

In terms of poverty reduction and wealth creation GiG research suggests that participants of the scheme have seen their incomes rise significantly from D4560 to D25, 746 per annum.

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