By Harry Bah
Baboucarr Jallow, a commercial farmer who strives to promote sustainable farming and agri-preneurship says he sees farming as a profession that plays a vital role in providing food for communities.
For Jallow, people should venture into farming not only for wealth but to preserve the environment and animals, provide food that is environmentally friendly, socially responsible and economically viable for future generations.
“You can only be independent once you secure what you eat and eat what you grow”, he asserted.
The young farmer aspires to support and promote sustainable farming practices and raise awareness about the importance of agriculture in our society.
‘‘I want to transfer knowledge as much as I can to mitigate the unemployment rate and discourage irregular migration and to be a testament of the power of hard work, dedication and the belief in one’s homeland,’’ he remarked.
Through his dedication and desire to promote farming and impact lives, Jallow employs people, giving them the opportunity to better life.
Despite his relative success in agriculture, the young farmer said he has yet to receive support from anyone. “I still face major challenges such as access to agro inputs, access to proper market, access to grant/loan, storage facilities, and value addition to our products’’. Despite all this, Jallow said he is with the conviction that through his hard work support will find him along the way.
He however acknowledged the role his brother, Muhammudou Salieu Jallow, played in shaping his mindset as a farmer.
“He saw the vision and knew this was the right thing I could do. I believed him and ventured into farming with him”.
Jallow lamented that there is a lot of misconceptions about farming in The Gambia, and that changing people’s perceptions and educating them about the vital role agriculture plays in our society, has proven challenging.
