By Olimatou Coker
ActionAid International – The Gambia (AAITG), in collaboration with the European Union, SOS Children’s Villages and other stakeholders, Wednesday held Agroecology Forum 2026 at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre.
Held under the theme “Action and Impact: Transforming Agriculture Through Agroecology and Equitable Fertiliser Access,” the forum brought together farmers, women and youth representatives, CSOs, government institutions, researchers and development partners to discuss practical solutions for transforming The Gambia’s food systems.
Head of Programmes and Policy at ActionAid, Fafa O Cham, representing the Country Director, said agriculture remains vital to The Gambia’s economy but farmers continue to face climate change, rising input costs and declining soil health.
“Agroecology promotes farming practices that protect soil health, conserve biodiversity and make better use of local knowledge. In The Gambia, farmers have long used practices such as composting, seed saving, crop diversification and integrating livestock with crop production,” Cham said.
He said agroecology can strengthen food and nutrition security, improve resilience to droughts and floods, and create economic opportunities for women and youth through agro-processing and local markets.
“The forum also called for greater investment in research, supportive policies, farmer training and access to appropriate technologies to help scale up successful agroecological practices,” he added.
Programme Development Manager at SOS Children’s Villages, Alieu S Bojang, said their “Monetising Waste for the Promotion of Organic Fertilizers” project supports women gardeners in Fatok, Tabajang, Sukuta and Brufut.
“Waste is often seen as something without value, but through proper management, it can be transformed into organic compost that is healthier for consumers and more sustainable for our soils,” Bojang said.
He said access to organic fertiliser remains limited by availability, affordability and accessibility, and called for greater support for local producers and a gradual reduction in dependence on chemical fertilisers.
“We are pleased to be part of this forum because agroecology is closely linked to our work of strengthening families and communities. For us, sustainable agriculture is not only about food production; it is also about improving livelihoods,” he said.
Representative of the Minister of Agriculture, Dr Saikou Sanyang, said government now sees agriculture as a business.
“Today, we are looking at agriculture as a business,” Sanyang said, adding government fulfilled its pledge to purchase 10,000 tonnes of organic fertiliser.
“Last year, I was here for a similar meeting, where he pledged to purchase 10,000 tonnes of organic fertiliser, and he did so. We all know that fertilizers are expensive and sometimes unavailable to our farmers,” he said.
EU Programme Manager for Agriculture, Emile Van Caenegem, reaffirmed EU support for Gambian farmers and sustainable practices.
The forum ended with calls for closer cooperation between government, farmers, researchers, civil society and development partners to scale agroecology beyond pilots and make sustainable farming central to The Gambia’s agricultural development.