PRESIDENT JAMMEH CONTINUES TO CALL FOR ALL HANDS ON DESK TO MAKE GAMBIA FOOD SELF SUFFICIENCY ON HIS RETURNED FROM QUATAR

The Gambian leader continues to stress on the need for  food security in the country, which has been the focus of his ongoing campaign slogan; "grow what you and eat what you grow"
His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh made this appeal to the Gambians through his interview with journalists at the airport on his return
from Qatar in February.
 The president urged Gambians  particularly the youths to rise up to the challenge and engage in agricultural activities. He lamented that farming is diminishing in the area in contrast to what used to obtain in by gone days.
President Jammeh told journalists that no country can boast of  real independent if you are not self sufficiency in food production.
He declare this year 2011---2012  farming season as a  failure due to less rain and this cause drought but his mission to Qatar was seek for food aid from the Qatari government for the Gambians.

President Jammeh also said a friend in  need is a friend in deed and the governments of Qatar,Japan and Taiwan as a true friends that always help his government .

He warned Gambians that the countries that are exporting rice are gradually becoming industrialize , this will reduce their  currently state of agricultural production and if the demand for food at world market is higher than the supply the food price will skyrocketed as those experience in 2008.

 PRESIDENT JAMMEH;S FARMING ACTIVIST

President Jammeh's demonstrating to the local farmers how to use a power tiller in the farm

He also said in his popular  document in TV; 'Jammeh a farmer,' that he is doing farming to serve as roll model for the youths of this country to take up farming seriously and together we create food sufficiency for our beloved country to save it from hunger .As a photojournalist, i have covered president Jammeh on many occasions at his  farm  and also with helping women at their various farms and all this have shown that Gambian leader is a very active farmer who always spent his entire holiday  farming in every month of August  at his village of Kanilai.

President Jammeh also remains the people of Foni that during his childhood period  , if you take a look a village Mayork up to the village of Kamwally, you see only mighty farmlands, but today the area has been turned into a thick forest due to the non-utilization of those farms.

PRESIDENT WITH SINE HOE WEEDING
"If I tell you to till the land, you say it is difficult"  but as a president i do till the soil daily whilst at Kanilai says President Jammeh.

But farming and death which one is difficult? We all know that you cannot go to heaven without dying, so how is it possible for you to have something without sweating?
 He told youths that farming or tilting the soil is rewarding in the next world.

Women and Vegetable Crop Production

Women have continued to be the principal producers of vegetables for the home and local market. Women in this industry can be categorised into individual and communal producers. The group or communal approach was either at the village level or women groups in the Village.

PRESIDENT WITH WOMEN WEEDING A VEGETABLE GARDEN

Introduced by the Department of Agriculture to easily reach many women with extension advice,    using common gardens in which each woman has a number of beds to grow preferred vegetables. 

According to the 2002/2003, National Agricultural Sample Survey, 87,000 women operate in communal gardens. All the groups experienced water shortage. Consequently, yields were reduced.