By: Haruna Kuyateh
Action Aid International Gambia and ROOTS Project are spearheading sensitization activities for communities in the North Bank Region (NBR) on women’s ownership of and control over productive land.
The three-day awareness campaign targets community leaders and land owners and it’s hoped that the initiative would empower women to demand for land. It’s also hoped that the campaign will create smooth relations between local authorities and women as far as the issuance of land documents is concerned.
The ownership of land by women would contribute to triggering more support from development partners and NGOs in the areas of horticultural development and diversification of economic activities. Speaking in Toroba, Suwareh Kunda, Gunjur, Banni, Kerewan and Toro Tayim, Omar Mendy, Field Assistant for Farmer Organisation at ROOTS Project in Kerewan, described the partnership with Action Aid International The Gambia as crucial in paving the way for local authorities to support the initiative by extending land ownership to women.
He harped on the urgency for the allocation of land to women for total ownership, noting that it would help facilitate the project’s support for women.
Vice President of Rural Women AssemblyKumba Sanyang and Haruna Kuyateh of Worldview reiterated that support forwomen would contribute to strengtheningtheir capacity and economic diversification efforts.
The Alkalo of Toro Tayim, Ebrima Jallow, described the campaign as important, noting that women encounter a lot of challenges in horticulture. He explained that women trek 6km to a border village in Senegal to grow vegetables.
Many speakers thanked ROOTS and AITG for the awareness campaign.
