By Isatou Jallow
The Natural Resources Consulting (NACO) – Gambia in collaboration with stakeholders from various institutions, on Tuesday convened a two-day contract collaboration fair in five regions in the Gambia.
Upper River Region, Central River Region North, Lower River Region and the North Bank Region were among the regions, and it marked the finalization of a small-scale enterprise development program, called MA and D (Market Analysis and Development).
The event was funded by community- based sustainable dry land forest management project and it aimed to link the enterprise groups to support and service institutions, which will help in further development of the businesses.
NACO Gambia, been an implementing partner to a Global Environment Facility (GEF), was an executed project community-based sustainable Dry land forest management by the Food and Agricultural Organization.
The project further aimed to reduce forest degradation in the northern part of the Gambia through the strengthening and expansion of community forest and implementation of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) practices, with support from NACO to the establishment of over 20 small scale community-based forest enterprises using the FAO market analysis and development.
Speaking at the event, Alkali Jarjusey, the focal person for GEF dry land project said this was a program that brought the beneficiaries of the project with the various stakeholders and their partner institutions in the regions together. This is with objectives of creating such a forum between themselves for beneficiaries to know what services they would benefit from the project, as well as how to reach them.
The project is funded by the GEF through the FAO with three main implementing partners, which including the department of forestry being the principal implementing partner responsible for the tenure transfer from the state to the communities, the NACO Gambia responsible for support of the beneficiaries to improve their livelihood through non-timber forest product like beekeeping and ecotourism and the Agency to the Advancement of Women And Children (ADWAC) based in Kerewan.
In his part, the FAO representative, Ebrima Dem dilated on the project as it will end in September 2022, while he applauded the collaboration between the financial institutions and those involve in the project management at the grassroots level and described the collaboration a significant one.
The collaboration between Financial Institutions, he said farmers and those involved in project management at the grass roots level was significant as it would able to help contact between the different institutions to work together and conserve their forest.
The President of National Farmers’ Platform of the Gambia Hon. Sherifo Bojang, described the event as a blessing one for the fact that this was a convergence that could strengthen and foster unity and cooperation among farmers.
He advised beneficiaries to register to any other group to benefit from many things in the future, disclosing that they are presently working with the FAO and they are benefiting from the forest farm facilities, and now groups registered under the National farmers’ platform.
