From 24th to 28th in February, 2020, the first phase of Agricultural Science Teacher Association of The Gambia (hereinafter ASTAGAM) technical training was held for 5 days at SAPU, CRR-South by China-Aid Agriculture Technical Assistance to The Gambia (hereinafter China-Gambia Agriculture Project).
The opening ceremony was held in the morning of 24th in February, attended by Deputy Director of Agriculture Department in Sapu, CRR-South, Landing Saidyleigh; an officer of Agriculture Department, Lamin Jawara; an officer of NARI in Sapu, CRR-South; Sambou Momodou, officer of NSS in Sapu, CRR-South; Leyen Nbye and Modou Sabally and others.
Landing Saidyleigh, the Deputy Director, introduced the basic situation of China-Aid Agriculture Technical Assistance to The Gambia and expressed his sincere thanks to the China-Gambia Agriculture Project and the hard work of the Chinese experts. He believed that through this China-Gambia Agriculture Project, The Gambia’s agricultural production level could improved and promote the increase of food and vegetable production in The Gambia. 
Team leader of China-Gambia Agriculture Project, Zhang Xiaohui, gave a brief introduction of China-Aid Agriculture Technical Assistance to The Gambia, Yuan Longping High-Tech Agriculture Co., Ltd., Zhang Xiaohui also lectured some information on China’s achievements in agricultural production technology and food production over the past four decades. He said from reform and opening-up to 2018, China has improved technology a lot on agriculture. Now China can feed nearly 20% population in the world with 7% of the arable land.
This training combining theoretical teaching with practical operation. The main contents include vegetable seedling technology, organic fertiliser making and using, farm and garden demarcation and layout, and analysis on the development trend of modern agriculture. 
On 24th and 25th in February, Chinese horticulture expert, Yang Jinping, taught the vegetable seedling technique and the organic fertiliser making and using, he taught the trainees in ASTAGAM learn to use the plenty local raw materials in the Gambia (such as cattle, sheep, chicken manure and grass, leaves, peanut shells, millet straw and other plant material) to make organic fertiliser, and he also taught the technology of using organic fertiliser in vegetable planting process of Mr Yang Jinping combined with his own practical experience and local conditions, he showed the way to make simple seedbed and sunshade step-by-step. He taught some details need to attention during sowing, water management and other technology to the trainees in ASTAGAM. He explained water management technology of peppers, eggplant, tomatoes cultivated in field. He told to the trainees, there is an old saying in China “Manage seedlings to made it strong, we already achieve good harvest on the way”. So as to the purpose of increasing yield and the quality of agricultural products can achieve easily.
On the 26th February, Chinese expert, Mr Huang Zhi, gave a lecture on the basic concept of land planning, the role of land planning in the sustainable development of national economy, how to carry out land evaluation, the standard of quality evaluation, the suitability of land and relevant indicators of suitability evaluation. Then lead the trainees in ASTAGAM to visit the core demonstration area of the China-Gambia agriculture project, watched the land planning map of the project, and explained the reason, purpose and role of the planning.
On 27th February, Chinese rice expert, Mr Zhang Xiaohui, showed analysis of development trend of modern agriculture, details in the basic idea of modern agricultural development, the basic principles to be followed of modern agriculture, ten direction modern agricultural development, ten major mode of modern agriculture development. Mr Zhang also elaborates the new field of future agricultural development. According to China’s development experience, he pointed out that the fundamental way out for agriculture is the development of mechanised production and take the path of modern agriculture.
On 28th February, the Governor of CRR in The Gambia, Sherriff Abba Sanyang, the Director of Agriculture Department in Sapu, CRR-South; Famara Trawally, the Director of Education Department of CRR in The Gambia, the officer of NARI in Sapu, CRR-South, Sambou Momodou, the officer of NSS in SAPU, CRR-South Modou Sabally, China-Gambia agriculture project team and all the trainees in ASTAGAM attended in the training closing ceremony, the governor and other officers and the trainees in ASTAGAM gave full affirmation to this technical training, and hope China-Gambia agriculture project team can organise the training like this in the future to train more agriculture teachers for The Gambia.
The China-Aid Agriculture Technical Assistance to The Gambia project team leader, Zhang Xiaohui, said that he hoped the trainees in ASTAGAM who participated in this training would use what they have learned and their knowledge to spread to the students. He expects that the trainees in ASTAGAM can actively publicise the China-Aid Agriculture Technical Assistance to The Gambia. He wished that more people will participate in the teaching of agricultural technology, so that China’s advanced and practical agricultural technology can spread in The Gambia and the agricultural production level of The Gambia will be greatly improved. Mr Zhang Xiaohui said that he prospects through the joint efforts of The Gambia and China, The Gambian people will realise self-sufficient in food, enjoy a garden full of fruits and vegetables, and enjoy the fragrance of rice, and become more and more wealthy.
