For many farmers across The Gambia, the start of every rainy season brings both hope and anxiety. Hope comes with the first showers that soften the earth and signal the beginning of another planting cycle. Anxiety comes with the rising cost of inputs—especially fertiliser, without which many smallholder farmers struggle to secure the yields needed to feed their families, supply the markets and earn an income.
This year, however, that anxiety has been eased for thousands of farmers following the Government of The Gambia’s fertiliser subsidy intervention, which has brought the price of a bag of fertiliser down to D1,100, a price farmers say compares favourably with what is available across the border in Senegal.
From the maize fields of the Central River Region to the groundnut fields of the North Bank Region, farmers welcomed the initiative as a practical and timely response to the cost-of-living pressures confronting the agricultural sector.
They say the subsidy is not merely about a cheaper bag of fertiliser. It is about protecting production, preserving household livelihoods and strengthening national food security at a time when global commodity prices, transport costs and climate uncertainty continue to put enormous pressure on farmers.
“This is a major relief for us,” said Sulayman Bah, a farmer in Kerr Dekodeh, North Bank Region, where agriculture remains the backbone of many rural households.
“When fertiliser becomes too expensive, a farmer is forced to reduce the size of the land cultivated or apply less than what the crop needs. That affects production directly. With the price at D1,100, the Government has made it easier for many of us to farm properly.
“If you look around you can see for yourself the crops that have fertiliser and those that do not. The difference apparent,” he said.
For decades, fertiliser has remained one of the most important productive inputs for Gambian farmers. The country’s farmers depend on it to improve soil fertility, increase yields and sustain cultivation on land that has been worked season after season. Yet in recent years, the rising cost of imported agricultural inputs has placed fertiliser beyond the reach of many ordinary producers.
The consequences were evident: smaller cultivated acreage, lower yields, growing debt among farmers and heightened food insecurity in rural communities.
Government’s intervention, farmers say, has changed that equation.
A price that gives farmers confidence
At D1,100 per bag, subsidised fertiliser is being described by farmers as one of the most meaningful forms of support provided during the current farming season. While prices differ by area and product type, farmers have noted that the Gambian price remains lower and more accessible than comparable fertiliser prices in neighbouring Senegal.
For communities situated close to the border, the difference is particularly clear. Farmers who regularly monitor prices in both countries say the Government’s subsidy has shielded Gambian producers from the full impact of high regional market prices.
“In Senegal, farmers are also facing high input costs,” said Modou Njie, a farmer in NBR. “We know what fertiliser costs there because our communities are close and people move across the border. The D1,100 price in The Gambia is favourable, and it shows that the Government is thinking about the farmer.”
Another farmer from the North Bank Region Lamin Touray said the subsidy had allowed him to plan his farming season with greater certainty.
“Before, we would wait and worry because we did not know whether we could afford enough fertiliser,” he said. “Some people would plant but could not apply fertiliser at the right time. Others would borrow money at high interest. This year, at least the fertiliser price is something a serious farmer can plan around. It may not solve every problem, but it has reduced a very heavy burden.”
That confidence matters. Agriculture is a seasonal business in which timing is everything. Fertiliser applied too late, or in insufficient quantities, can sharply reduce crop performance. A farmer who cannot access inputs when needed risks losing not only a harvest, but an entire year of income.
By making fertiliser more affordable, the Government has given farmers a stronger chance to make timely decisions, cultivate more land and invest in better crop management.
Beyond subsidy: An investment in food security
The fertiliser subsidy should not be viewed simply as a commercial price reduction. It is an investment in national food security and rural economic stability.
The Gambia remains heavily dependent on agriculture, with thousands of families relying on farming for food, employment and income. When farmers are unable to produce sufficiently, the effects are felt far beyond the village: market supplies decline, food prices rise, rural poverty deepens and dependence on imports increases.
Conversely, when farmers have the means to cultivate efficiently, the benefits spread throughout the economy. More crops reach local markets. Families have more food to consume and sell. Women gardeners can sustain vegetable production. Youth engaged in farming have a stronger reason to remain productive in their communities. Traders, transporters and small businesses also benefit from increased agricultural activity.
A 35-year-old woman and groundnut farmer in Niumi Jamagen said affordable fertiliser has particular significance for women farmers, many of whom operate on limited capital.
“For women, fertiliser is not optional,” she explained. “We need it for groundnut, onions, tomatoes, pepper, cabbage and other vegetables. If fertiliser is too expensive, it affects our gardens, our income and the food we bring home. The subsidy is helping women farmers to continue working and to produce more.”
Farmers see government listening
In rural communities, government programmes are measured not by policy statements alone, but by their effect on the ground. The response from farmers indicates that the fertiliser subsidy has been felt directly in the fields and households of ordinary Gambians.
“This is what farmers want to see—support that reaches us when we need it,” said Abdoulie Bah, a groundnut farmer in NBR.
“Agriculture is hard work. We depend on the rains, we depend on the soil and we depend on inputs. When the Government reduces the fertiliser price, it is showing that it understands our situation.”
He said the programme has encouraged farmers in his area to take cultivation more seriously, particularly young people who had previously been discouraged by the high costs associated with agriculture.
“Many young people want to farm, but they look at the cost of fertiliser, seeds, labour and transport and they become discouraged,” he said. “If the Government continues with this kind of support, more young people will see agriculture as a business and not as a last resort.”
That is an important national objective. The future of Gambian agriculture depends not only on supporting existing farmers but also on making farming attractive to a new generation. Affordable inputs can help shift perceptions, especially when combined with training, access to land, credit and markets.
The D1,100 fertiliser price sends a clear message that the government recognises that farmers cannot carry the burden of global price shocks alone.
The global fertiliser market has faced considerable volatility in recent years. Supply disruptions, fuel costs, international conflicts, currency pressures and rising transport charges have all contributed to increased prices in many countries. Small economies dependent on imported inputs are especially vulnerable to these external shocks.
Without government intervention, those rising costs would have been passed directly to Gambian farmers—many of whom already operate with limited financial resources.
The subsidy has therefore acted as a protective shield, insulating producers from the worst effects of price escalation. It has enabled the Government to keep fertiliser within the reach of farmers while supporting the country’s broader objective of expanding domestic food production.
An agricultural producer in the North Bank Region described the initiative as “a rescue measure for the farming season.”
“If fertiliser was left entirely to market prices, many farmers would not manage,” he said. “The Government has stepped in at the right time. We appreciate that. When farmers produce more, the country benefits. When farmers fail, everybody feels it.”
His assessment captures the strategic importance of supporting agriculture. Food production is not a marginal issue. It is tied to national sovereignty, household welfare, employment and economic resilience.
A country that invests in its farmers invests in its own stability.
While farmers have praised the subsidised price, they have also called for the programme to be sustained and managed transparently to ensure that fertiliser reaches genuine farmers in every region.
They want supplies delivered early, distribution points brought closer to farming communities and safeguards introduced to prevent diversion, hoarding and resale at inflated prices.
“The price is good, and we thank the Government,” said Ousman Njie, a groundnut farmer from the CRR. “But fertiliser must reach the real farmer on time. There should be enough supply, and the distribution must be fair. If that happens, production will improve greatly.”
These are not criticisms of the policy itself, but calls to strengthen an intervention that farmers already recognise as valuable. Effective distribution will ensure that the subsidy achieves its intended purpose: putting affordable fertiliser in the hands of those who cultivate the land.
Farmers also called for the programme to continue beyond a single season, arguing that predictable support enables them to plan better and make long-term investments in their farms.
“If we know the support will continue, we can expand our farms, organise ourselves in cooperatives and invest with confidence,” one farmer said. “Agriculture needs consistency. A farmer must be able to plan from one season to another.”
To be continued