By Awa B. Bah
The National Coordinating Organization for Farmer Association the Gambia NACOFAG over the weekend organized a day long consultation forum on The Gambia National Agriculture Investment Plan (GNAIP) Second Generation Farmer Consultations for the network of farmer based and civil society organizations at its office in Brikama.
The objective amongst others was to advance the role of farmer and civil society organizations on the formulation, implementations of the GNAIP processes for farmer organizations and CSOs linking the attainment and recommendations presented during the implementations.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the coordinator NACOFAG Alieu welcomed and updates the participants on the process under review for proper implementation by all the relevant stakeholders. The forum, he said, will look into the processes and implementation of the coming five-year GNAIP programmes and projects. The GNAIP programme, he said, is set on a five-year plan so as to help meet the target desire of farmer organizations in general and farmers in particular. He called on the participants to stay focus so as to come up with a five-year programme plan that will inclusively look into the effective and efficient participation of all stakeholders. The first, he said, is to address concerns in the formulation of GNAIP second generation and to further explore from the records of the first generations. After the formulation of the document, Sowe said it will be enacted either by parliament or the concern authorities.
Aja Matty on behalf of the National Farmers Platform welcomes the participants, urging them to be critical to the issues raised and to come up with a final programme that will suit all farmer organizations. The five-year GNAIP programme, she said, requires time and sacrifices for its sustainability.
Dawda Manneh an advocate said the forum is timely as women and youth issues are being captured in the proposed five-year programme. The forum, he said, will help to develop our national development agricultural targets. He called for the full collaboration of all the relevant stakeholders for successful ad mutual benefits. He challenged the participants to add their value as that is the only way they can meet their desired objectives.
