Fatou is a farmer in the Brefet Community Garden in the West Coast region of The Gambia, which is part of United Purpose’s NEMA project.

Fatou has been working the land since she was a teenager, but the work used to be hard and the rewards small. With no in-depth knowledge on proper cultivation and a lack of high quality seeds, Fatou could only grow low-quality produce, the income from which could barely sustain her family. To make matters worse, before the project began, water was only available from a faraway, uncovered well, meaning hours were wasted fetching water. It was unsafe for Fatou and her family to drink and resulted in her family often being sick.

Thanks to the training she received as part of the NEMA Horticulture project, Fatou now successfully grows nutritious, high-quality vegetables, which provide her family with healthy meals and a proper income. Multiple solar-powered boreholes - built as part of the project - enable Fatou to quickly fetch clean water. And, thanks to the new gravel road next to the community garden, Fatou and her fellow farmers now have easy access to the local market while increased motorbike traffic brings frequent customers from the surrounding areas.

For Fatou, the NEMA Horticulture project has been life-changing. With her increased income, Fatou is now able to keep all her kids in school and purchase the materials they need to succeed, including schoolbooks and uniforms. When her children are sick, she can take them to a private clinic and ensure they get proper medication and healthcare.

Fatou’s income has grown significantly, so much so that she has been able to use the surplus to establish her own business — buying clothes, shoes and bags from Senegal to sell alongside her crops in the local market.

Context

NEMA Horticulture is one of the projects that United Purpose implement as part of its strategic partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture in the Gambia. The project trains farmers (predominantly women) on improving their yields and getting fair prices for them at the market. They are taught the importance of proper vegetable spacing, the best time for watering, how to make organic compost, how to make organic pest repellent and other ways to protect their vegetables. The project also funded solar powered boreholes for easy watering, a gravel road, an onion store, toilets and vegetable crates.