The Gambia’s deputy minister of Agriculture, Hon. Kalifa A.M. Kambi has said that the Food Security through Commercialization of Agriculture (FSCA) project would enhance the efforts of the citizenry in the realization of Vision 2020, PRSP II, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the CAADP Partnership compact of the Gambia National Agricultural Investment Programme (GNAIP).

The deputy minister said this on Friday while launching the project steering committee of the Food Security through Commercialization of Agriculture (FSCA), held at his ministry’s conference room in Banjul. The project which is funded by the Italian Republic through Food and Agriculture Organization is one of the seven national projects implemented through the special contribution to the Global Trust Fund for Food Security and food safety. The countries involved in the project include Senegal, Mali, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Sierra Leone, Liberia and The Gambia.

According to Hon. Kambi, the project is timely and relevant to the efforts of the government’s food security policy objectives and strategies being pursued vigorously by his ministry. He noted that the project could not have come at a better time than now when the government stands resolute in the fight against endemic poverty, food and income insecurity, social exclusion and injustice particularly among the most vulnerable groups (women and youths).

Hon. Kambi told the members of the committee that their inclusion in the committee was based on their special competence and knowledge in project management which he said would be the most treasured value. According to him, the tasks of the committee include providing conceptual, strategic and political guidance to the project for implementation and coordination of project activities, ensuring overall conformity with government policies and strategies, reviewing project progress and performance, resolving any implementation problems and conflicts and assisting the project in obtaining government policies assistance and contribution to the project.

Also speaking at the forum, Dr. Babagana Ahmadu, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) representative to The Gambia commended the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture for the support they have been receiving from them, noting that FAO would not take such kind of support for granted.

According to him, the conceptualization of the project started a very long time ago. He also said that the project has already being launched both at the national and regional levels and that all the staff compliments have been recruited.

Dr. Ahmadu noted that the committee is central to the implementation of the FSCA project. “We will be receiving guidance from this committee on the management of the project and implementation, ratifying it, tuning it and also adjusting it,” he said.

He then assured the committee that his organization is ready to work with their guidance in trying to ensure that the project meet its objectives at the stated time of three-years. While he noted that this may be difficult, he expressed hope about the kind of commitment, enthusiasm shown by the project staff and said that with the support of the ministry, they are confident that they would meet the project objectives and targets.

Introducing the project, Madam Amie Jallow-Jatta, national project manager described its main objective as improving and strengthening on a sustainable basis as well as increasing the productivity of marketing output, incomes of the project beneficiary farmer based organizations (FBOs) and small-scale processors resulting in improved livelihoods and food security. According to her, the emphasis of the project is commercialization and value addition to agricultural products. “We are going to be looking at the value-chain of all agricultural projects or products from production to processing, up to packaging and the emphasis is on commercialization.”

According to her, the project has three components which are (1) support to farmer-based organization which aims at strengthening sustainable entitles which function as effective mechanisms to increase production and value addition, and improve marketing; (2) support to value addition and enterprise development which seeks to build the capacities of farmer- based organizations and small scale processors so as to enable them acquire requisite skills and knowledge for better performance and sustainable income; and (3) project coordination, monitoring and evaluation component and sub-regional cooperation, which seeks to ensure that the implementation proceeds as envisaged in the project document.

She then highlighted some of the achievements they have realized so far since March, which she said included recruitment of staff, purchase of all the required equipments that is needed for the smooth running of the project, vehicles, and even the motor cycles.

“We have already signed MoUs with our partners. The committees have already being selected. We have selected 40 communities, 20 in CRR and 20 in North Bank because the project supposed to work with 40 communities,” she concluded.

Other speakers at the occasion included Mrs Naffie Barry, permanent secretary, Ministry of Trade, Regional Integration and Employment; Mr. Ousman Yabo, director of TANGO and Ms Marie Adams, national coordinator, National Farmers Platform who also expressed profound appreciation to the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture.