AFRICA
ROC transfers agriculturaltechnology to The Gambia
International Cooperation & Development 13
Since the late 1950s the ROC has been sending
agricultural and fishery technical missions to
different parts of the world to help friendly nations
develop their agricultural sectors and improve their
economies. Developing countries in Africa were
among the first to benefit from these initiatives. In
The Gambia, ROC specialists helped local farmers to
grow rice, dryland cereals, vegetables and melons from
June 1966 to December 1974. When, after a hiatus,
the technical mission resumed its activities in 1995, it
was decided to concentrate on helping the Gambians
to enhance their ability to produce vegetables and rice.
Agricultural scientist Dr. Sung-ching Hsieh, former
deputy secretary general of the ICDF, has been deeply
involved in the transfer of technology to The Gambia
and he has written extensively on the subject. One of
his monographs—Case Studies on Agricultural
Technology Transfer in the Developing Countries—
is the source for the data on vegetable production.
With respect to tidal irrigation, the most important
source of information consists of detailed reports by
Y.S. Chen, team leader of the ROC’s agricultural
technical mission in Sapu, The Gambia.
Description of The Gambia
This West African country, the smallest country
on the African continent, consists of a narrow strip on
either side of the Gambia River, extending 320 km
upstream from its mouth. Entirely surrounded by
Senegal, the country’s total area is 11,300 sq km,
consisting of 10,000 sq km of land and 1,300 sq km of
water. Three quarters of the total population of about
1.25 million (1997 est.) is rural, and population growth
is high, at about 4 percent per year.
14 International Cooperation & Development
The country lies in the Sahelian zone, with four
distinct agro-ecological zones according to vegetation
and rainfall pattern. The dry season lasts from
November to May, with an average daily temperature
of 30oC in the dry season; in the wet season, the average
temperature is 27oC. The annual rainfall has been
decreasing steadily over the past century and that is
leading to increased salinity in the lowlands and greater
acidity in the uplands. The flat topography results in a
pronounced marine influence: in the dry season the
salt tongue moves as far as 250 km upstream. The
seasonality and salinity have important repercussions
on land use.
The cultivable land area is estimated at about
430,000 hectares, or about 38 percent of the total area,
and about 45 percent of that area is cultivated. Major
crops, mostly rainfed, are groundnuts, millet, sorghum,
maize and rice. Only about 1,500 hectares of cropland
are under pump irrigation, although rice is grown on
10,000 to 15,000 ha of mangrove and freshwater
swamps. In the mangrove area, where simple protec-
tion dikes have been constructed, rice can be grown
from August to January. Groundnuts and groundnut
products constitute 70 percent of The Gambia’s
exports.
Agricultural Policy
The Department of State for Agriculture provides
policy guidance and technical support for agriculture
through a Central Management Unit and four main
departments: Planning, Livestock Service, Coopera-
tion, and Agricultural Services. The semiautonomous
National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) is
responsible for all agricultural research.
A prime objective of The Gambia’s agricultural
policy is to enhance the productivity of vegetable and
other agricultural products, for both domestic
consumption and export purposes. The increasing
number of tourists (some 100,000 per year) is
exacerbating the demand for vegetables and fruits, and
there is concern about the high amount of foreign
exchange being spent to import agricultural products,
which make up the largest part of the country’s imports.
Past Lessons Learned
Over the years, international assistance organiza-
tions—including the ROC—have attempted to help
the Gambian government resolve the country’s
agricultural production challenges. Important lessons
have been learned from those efforts.
In the 1970s, with the assistance of the World Bank,
the Department of Agriculture began to revise the
colonially inherited system of agricultural research and
extension. The objective of the Rural Development
Project which ensued was to disseminate improved
varieties of crops and modern cultivation practices to
farmers through demonstration plots at mixed farming
centers and farmers’ fields. Agricultural communi-
cation units, using film, video shows and other tools,
did their best to propagate improved agricultural
production methods throughout the country. While the
project foundered in some areas, it did lead to wide
acceptance of the need to improve agricultural
extension through better management.
In the mid-1980s, the Gambian government, again
with the support of the World Bank, entered into the
Agricultural Services Project. That incorporated a
training and visit system of extension, which was
designed to teach farmers quickly about improved
technologies that could be applied to help them increase
production and therefore their income.
Success depended on regular visits to farmers’
fields and detailed diagnoses of farmers’ problems,
along with fortnightly meetings with extension and
research staff. Efforts were made to provide informa-
tion on a timely basis and extension linkages were
strengthened, but it proved to be impossible for
extension agents to visit all of the several hundred farm
families assigned to them. Lack of timely feedback
on difficulties faced by the farmers—which might have
helped researchers diagnose problems and formulate
appropriate recommendations—posed another barrier
to progress.
Constraints to effective implementation of the
program were many, including:
• the inability to continue financing the program once
World Bank, government and external funding
sources ended;
• the imbalanced gender structures of the farming
community, in which the women were responsible
for doing the actual cultivation work but had limited
ownership of land and therefore were unable to take
advantage of the new technologies;
• the multiplicity of indigenous languages in the
country, which made it difficult for extension agents
to communicate effectively with farmers and for
those farmers, in turn, to communicate with other
members in their areas;
• the low literacy level, which limited the ability of
farmers to make use of practical printed materials;
and
• poor coordination between researchers, extension
workers and farmers.
In planning their strategies for the revitalization of
the designated areas, the
ROC technical mission
took all of these factors
into account.
Involvement of the
ROC Technical Mission
In 1995 the government of The Gambia and the
ROC agricultural technical mission in that country
signed an agreement to rehabilitate the abandoned
Banjulinding Vegetable Garden as a productive farm
and to turn Banjulinding, Sukuta and Lamin into
integrated horticultural production zones. The hope
was that in those areas vegetables could be produced
for both domestic and export purposes. The objectives
envisaged converting the existing cooperative gardens
into effective production and marketing teams,
establishing a modern grading and packing system,
and developing a post-harvesting treatment system to
improve and maintain the quality of vegetables.
Three separate vegetable production and marketing
team projects were undertaken: at the Banjulinding
Horticultural Farm, the Sukuta Women Communal
Horticultural Garden and the Vegetable Production and
Marketing Specialized Zone at Lamin. A similar
process was followed at each of the farms, so only the
Banjulinding experience is described in detail.
Mr. T.C. Huang of theROC technical missionconducts a trainingsession for the women atBunjulinding HorticulturalFarm.
International Cooperation & Development 15
Establishing Production and Marketing Teams
at Banjulinding Horticultural Farm
Banjulinding, known as “little Banjul,” is located
midway between the capital city of Banjul and the
international airport. A team of women had produced
peanuts and vegetables on an 8-hectare experimental
farm in the past, but the farm had been abandoned
because of insufficient funds to repair the damaged
irrigation system. When Dr. Hsieh visited the area, he
foresaw the possibility of rehabilitating the land into a
productive vegetable farm. He put together a plan
which the Minister of Agriculture and Natural
Resources accepted, and work began immediately.
The ROC technical mission stationed in The
Gambia assigned Mr. Te-chung Huang, a vegetable
expert, to the task. He was supported by an extension
worker supplied by the government. With funds
donated by the ROC, the Gambian government and
other sources, including Catholic Relief Services and
Canada Project, the underground water pumping and
irrigation facilities and power supply systems were
repaired. Once the system was functional, it could
pump water from 41.75 meters underground for storage
in an aboveground water tank. Plastic pipes were
buried underground in strategic places, in order to
facilitate the flow of water from the tank to several
small water reservoirs around the farm.
Now the work of organizing the production and
marketing teams began. Mr. Huang organized 70
women into teams of 10 persons, and he began training
them in the technologies of vegetable production. He
taught them about suitable varieties of vegetables to
be grown, fertilization methods, preparation of organic
manure, non-chemical integrated pest management,
operation of farm machinery, post-harvesting treat-
ment, marketing of produce, etc.
Although any woman over the age of 20 living in
Banjulinding could apply for membership in the
production and marketing team, the regulations were
quite strict. A member who failed to attend meetings
was fined and she could be expelled if she did not turn
up for work on time or perform the tasks that had been
assigned to her. At the end of each day, 75 percent of
the income from farm sales was divided equally among
the members of the team, and the balance was
deposited at the Standard Chartered Bank Serrekunda,
to be saved as an accumulative revolving fund.
In the initial year (1996), cultivating only 1.5 ha of
the land available, the teams produced 9.6 tonnes of
vegetables, with a value of US$2,358. In 1997,
production increased to 120.8 tonnes, with a value of
US$38,559. In 1998, US$38,750 was earned from
production of 88.1 tonnes of vegetables. By March
1999 there was US$16,234 in the revolving fund.
With initial capital of $5,000 borrowed from the
revolving fund, the women of the Banjulinding farm
established a Consumers’ Cooperative Shop. The team
members and field workers appreciated the
convenience and low prices charged for food and
household utilities at the shop, and it prospered. The
net profits between January 1998 and March 1999
amounted to US$2,644. These were added to the
revolving fund.
16 International Cooperation & Development
Sukuta Women
Communal Horticultural Garden
In Sukuta, a community situated close to the Greater
Banjul area, gardening has been the main occupation
of women since colonial days. The work is done both
individually and communally, using very simple,
labor-intensive methods. In 1981, at the invitation of
the World Food Program, 200 women formed the first
women vegetable producers’ group in Sukuta, working
15 hectares of land allocated by the village head. In
1987, with assistance from the Islamic Development
Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the
United Nations Development Program, the women
started a community garden project. They planted
vegetables on 5 hectares of land and fruit (mainly
mango) trees on 10 hectares.
Despite hard work, the project was not successful.
Apart from mismanagement and accounting
irregularities, the main problem was inadequate water
supply because of deficient pumps and an inefficient
generator. Also, the number of women (200) assigned
to the plots was too large to ensure an acceptable
income for each of them. The challenge for the ROC
technical mission and the other sponsors was to
reorganize the Sukuta
horticultural garden into
a modern, profitable one.
Once aga in , Mr .
Huang was dispatched to
lead the project. First, the
land was cleared com-
pletely and the soil tilled.
Pipes were laid under-
ground; two wind pumps and one wet jet pump (which
are easy to maintain and for which parts are available
locally) were donated by Canada and installed; large-
diameter wells were constructed; nurseries were built
and seedlings started in them; a store, shaded rest area
and office were constructed; and, with funds provided
by the Catholic Relief Services, a fence was built
around the perimeter of the 15-hectare site.
As in Banjulinding, the women, working in groups
of 10, were trained in horticultural production and
management by the technical staff and agricultural
extension workers. They were also taught about
practical marketing strategies and instructed on how
to avoid putting gluts of produce on the market. To
enable the women to participate actively in the
organization and management of the garden activities,
an adult literacy program, with a special emphasis on
numeracy, was initiated.
The women have decided that 25 percent of their
income will be saved in a revolving fund to be used
for capital building and rehabilitation work. The
revolving fund was the source of seed capital for the
setting up of a cooperative shop, which earned a net
profit of US$2,087 in 1998.
.
The women of the SukutaHorticultural Gardenshare some joyful momentsas they celebrate abountiful harvest ofwatermelons.
International Cooperation & Development 17
Vegetable Production and Marketing
Specialized Zone at Lamin
Following the visit of an agricultural survey mission
to Lamin led by Dr. Hsieh, it was agreed that the ROC
could play a useful role in turning the primitive facility,
located close to the capital city of Banjul, into a modern
vegetable production zone. A 15-hectare plot of land
was allocated for the women in the area, and vegetables
such as onion, eggplant, okra, hot pepper, sweet pepper
and tomato are now being cultivated on 6 hectares.
Mango trees have been planted on 7 hectares, and the
remaining 2 hectares are still awaiting reclamation.
The technical mission helped to organize 175
households into 18 production and marketing teams.
Before that, a number of improvements had to be made
to the site, where a solar energy-generated power
supply system for underground water intake (funded
by the Royal Norwegian Society for Rural Develop-
ment) already existed but had fallen into disuse because
of lack of money to maintain the system. An additional
solar-generated pumping system and a pipeline
irrigation system were installed and a revolving fund
was established along the same lines as that formed in
Banjulinding.
Between 1996 and 1998 the group produced 230.8
tonnes of vegetables, with a value of US$78,159.
Process of Continual Evaluation
of New Technologies
Obviously, the ROC technical mission has been
very successful in transferring agricultural technology
to The Gambia. Through a combination of efforts,
including new techniques (from the country’s NARI,
the ROC and other countries), well-trained village
extension workers and hard-working farming house-
holds, agricultural productivity has increased tremen-
dously in the three major areas described above.
A demonstration of onion culture at the Lamin Women’s Horticultural Garden in The Gambia.
18 International Cooperation & Development
The extension work begun by the World Bank and
continued by the technical mission has shown that
Gambian farming households can accept new tech-
nologies and are prepared to follow the regulations
that are required for cooperative farming. However,
after more than half a century of experiments, the
Gambians are still evaluating the best combination of
approaches to achieve the desired goals of vegetable
self-sufficiency and the creation of a profitable export
market for agricultural produce.
The horticultural farms at Banjulinding, Sukuta and
Lamin which were set up with the assistance of the
ROC and other foreign aid institutions are operating
successfully. The farms serve not only as production
units but also as places of partnership, where the spirit
of cooperation is fostered and communication through-
out the community is enhanced. Surely these experi-
ences can be applied to other farms, not only in The
Gambia and other developing African countries, but
also in other parts of the world.
Tidal irrigation as a meansto greater rice productivity
The ROC technical mission in The Gambia has
been promoting paddy rice production and the
expansion of paddy fields since 1995. Rice is a staple
food in that country but, because most farmers are short
of funds to buy the required fertilizer and agricultural
machinery and the areas of cultivation are small,
production is low—about 1.5 tonnes per hectare.
Discouraged by the government policy of allowing the
free import of rice, which not only keeps prices low
but makes it uneconomic to try to produce rice for
export under prevailing conditions, most farmers grow
only sufficient rice to meet their own needs.
The result is that the 20,000 tonnes of rice produced
annually in the country account for less than one
quarter of domestic demand. Consequently, consid-
erable sums of foreign exchange are being expended
to purchase rice from abroad. Because of the drain on
foreign exchange, the government has made increasing
rice output a major policy objective, and over the years
it has used foreign aid money to develop new rice
paddies. Unfortunately, most of those paddies have
been abandoned due to poor management and lack of
resources.
International Cooperation & Development 19
In an effort to help the Gam-
bians increase unit output and
reduce production costs, the ROC
technical mission has introduced
improved rice varieties and simple
applicable technology to the rice-
growing farms in selected areas.
Experts from the ROC and else-
where have concluded, however,
that in order to reach the hoped-for
level of 80,000–90,000 tonnes of
rice, which would be close to self-
sufficiency in that staple food, the
development and use of tidal
irrigation will be required.
Promoting the Benefits
of Tidal Irrigation
Mr. Y.S. Chen and his colleagues at the technical
mission have been studying the issue of tidal irrigation
for several years. In 1996 they conducted a survey on
pump and tidal irrigation systems in the Central River
Division (CRD) of The Gambia. They noted that,
although the Gambia River was a good source of water,
it was very costly to develop pumping irrigation when
the costs of diesel, lubricants and additional labor were
taken into account. If the farmers were not working
together, or there was a shortage of funds, pumps were
unable to operate continuously and the schemes could
be abandoned at any stage.
In contrast to pump irrigation systems, tidal
irrigation costs relatively little and, during high water
levels, it brings in fertile top soil or organic matter
which is washed down to the river from upstream. If
farmers use high-yielding varieties and plant healthy
seedlings at the right time with the appropriate amount
of fertilizer, weeding and water management, they can
easily increase the yield to 5 tonnes/hectare.
The technical mission carried out a second survey
in 1997 and identified a site for further land develop-
ment. The ROC government provided a sum of about
US$860,000 for purchase of the required heavy
equipment, tractors and fuel. The funds enabled the
mission to develop a total of around 100 hectares in
Sapu and Sukuta (both in the CRD), and in 1999 rice
was planted in those fields.
Another important task undertaken by the mission
was to convert the pump irrigation that existed on 400
hectares in Jahally and Pacharr to tidal irrigation. By
eliminating diesel, lubricant and other costs, expenses
were lowered by approximately US$25,000 per year.
Results of cultivation under tidal irrigation systems in
Jahally/Pacharr, as well as Wassu/Kuntaur, showed
that yields could be increased from 1 tonne/ha to 5
tonnes/ha. In fact, during the 1999 dry season, the
Jahally/Pacharr extension farm was able to increase
the yield to as much as 6 tonnes/ha.
20 International Cooperation & Development
New Practices Required
In addition to the low cost, an important charac-
teristic of tidal irrigation is that it permits year-round
cultivation with simple technologies. That is advan-
tageous. However, one ought not to lose sight of the
fact that the use of tidal irrigation may require the
adoption of new ways of farming. Among these:
• Tidal irrigation requires continual levelling of land
according to the season and may call for such new
practices as deep water rice cultivation, adjustment
of planting seasons and direct seeding. If timely
harvests are to be achieved, it may be necessary to
make up for later planting by raising seedlings
earlier in nurseries somewhere, so that transplanting
can take place immediately once the land
preparation has been completed.
• The distribution of labor may constitute a weak
point for cultivation under the tidal scheme. Most
of the cultivation of rice is done by women, who
may have limited strength to work in muddy, deep
water conditions while acquitting other onerous or
time-consuming household duties.
• Another requirement is that farmers collaborate in
maintaining the structures and cleaning the irri-
gation and draining channels in their communities.
Appointed individuals must be “on call” in case
high tides occur at night. If water management
strategies are to be effective, water users need to
be motivated to work closely and conscientiously
as a group—a factor that makes the establishment
of effective farmers’ organizations an urgent
requirement.
• Special attention to machinery and equipment is
necessary. Under tidal schemes, farm machinery
may be required for land preparation and har-
vesting. When the land is too low, however, tractors
and other heavy equipment cannot operate properly
and are prone to breaking down. The solution is to
resort to animal traction or to use light powertillers
for land preparation.
Weeding the rice field andpreparing it for theapplication of organicfertilizer.
International Cooperation & Development 21
It is estimated that about 1,800 hectares of double
cropping tidal land are currently being used for rice
cultivation. Yet, after intensive study of the
possibilities, the ROC experts believe that more than
5,000 hectares of tidal land could be adapted for double
rice cropping in The Gambia. With the use of superior
varieties of rice, training and government support, the
potential for development is highly encouraging.
Mr. Y.S. Chen and his team estimate that, with a
yield of as little as 4 tonnes/ha, the production from
the double crop fields could reach 40,000 tonnes. If
this were supplemented by crops grown on even one
third of the 60,000 ha of seasonal fresh water land that
exists, on which a single crop could be grown during
the rainy season (20,000 ha X 4), the yield would reach
80,000 tonnes. Added to the 40,000 tonnes produced
on the tidally irrigated double cropping land, the annual
yield would amount to 120,000 tonnes—considerably
more than the estimated annual requirement of 80,000–
90,000 tonnes.
Farmers in Pacharr, seen here with Mr. Y.S. Chen, using racks developed by the technical mission thatare more effective and easier to use.
Thus the objective of self-sufficiency in rice would
be achieved, with a surplus available for export that
could earn much-needed foreign exchange.
This review of the transfer of agricultural tech-
nology from the ROC to The Gambia, is based on
two monographs: “Case Studies on Agricultural
Technology Transfer in the Developing Countries”
by Dr. Sung-ching Hsieh, former deputy secretary
general of the ICDF, and “Tidal Irrigation in
Relation to Rice Production in The Gambia” by
Mr. Y.S. Chen, the leader of the ROC’s technical
mission in Sapu, The Gambia.
A special report in the ICDF’s annual report
for 1999 provides more details on the issue of tidal
irrigation in this West African nation.
22 International Cooperation & Development