By Kebba AF Touray
Project 2 of the Program to Strengthen Resilience to Food and Nutrition Insecurity in the Sahel (P2-P2RS) has recently concluded a consultative stakeholder engagement with representatives of farmer organizations in the Central River Region North and South.
The engagement concerns the project’s planned ploughing services for smallholder farmers, to boost their rice production capacities during the dry season. The engagement sessions, which were held in both Sapu in CRR South, and Kuntaur in CRR North, drew stakeholders from the Regional agricultural directorates.
The stakeholders include extension workers, Central River Region (South) Rice Farmers Association, Janjanbureh Rice Farmers Association, Niamina Rice Farmers Association, and Central River Region (North) Rice Farmers Association.
The meetings availed parties the opportunity to discuss the designed ploughing initiative to ensure clarity of purpose and build community ownership of the initiative.
Speaking at the session, Ansumana Njie, P2-P2RS Operations Director commended the stakeholder communities for their resilience, while expressing delight on their impressive turnout.
Mr. Njie emphasized that P2-P2RS is committed to supporting smallholder farmers to optimise their rice production capacities, and lauded the timeliness of the interface which is critical in consensus building as well as nurturing the culture of participation and ownership of P2-P2RS interventions especially towards the upcoming ploughing services.
He enjoined the communities to take the lead in facilitating the planned ploughing services for a successful implementation. The Director highlighted that the project will plough 1,000 ha in Jahally and Pacharr, 250 ha in Niamina, 250 ha in Janjabureh and 700 ha in CRR-North.
In welcoming the initiative, the Regional Agriculture Director of CRR-North, Mr. Momodou Bah, assured the project that his team would do their utmost to ensure proper coordination of the ploughing services according to plan, and said they will work in close collaboration with relevant stakeholders including beneficiary farmers, for the attainment of the goals of the exercise.
Sarata Touray, a rice producer from Sambel Kunda village in CRR-South, said the support is received with delight by farmers in the Region and echoed that the planned intervention by the P2-P2RS is timely and will greatly help all the smallholder farmers in their quest to attain food security.
Mamma Juma Jallow, another rice farmer, said they are often affected by heavy downpours, lamenting how this phenomenon seriously hinders their efforts in rice production. He, however, recognized the importance of ploughing services which will significantly ameliorate the effects of water intrusion in their rice fields.
While hailing P2-P2RS for the planned activity, Alieu Jawara, another rice producer from CRR North, expressed optimism, noting that as farmers, they will do their best to collaborate with the contractors for the smooth implementation of the ploughing exercise.
The P2-P2RS stakeholder engagement seeks to reach clear roles in identifying the smooth implementation of ploughing services to help promote strong community ownership among the stakeholders.