By Aminata Kuyateh
Project 2 of the Programme to Strengthen Resilience to Food and Nutrition Insecurity in the Sahel (P2-P2RS), under the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, on Tuesday handed over 125 agricultural processing machines and 100 goats to beneficiaries at Sololo and Sapu in CRR. The move aims to strengthen food security, raise productivity, and improve livelihoods.
The intervention forms part of efforts to build the resilience of smallholder farmers through agro-silvo-pastoral systems while expanding income opportunities for vulnerable households across The Gambia.
Deputy Governor Sainey Mbaye said the intervention represents a major step toward strengthening food security and rural livelihoods. He said the programme has the potential to reduce poverty and expand livestock production across the country.
Mbaye described the support as timely for farming communities and said such investments are critical to improving resilience in rural households facing economic hardship.
P2-P2RS Project Manager Ansumana Njie said the handover of the second batch of small ruminants marks another milestone in strengthening food and nutrition security for smallholder farmers, especially women-led households.
“Today is a great day for P2-P2RS,” Njie said, describing the intervention as “a very good resilient package” that supports nutrition, income generation, and climate resilience through alternative livelihoods beyond rain-fed agriculture.
Njie said 100 animals were distributed in the first batch, with another set now being delivered as part of a broader target of 300 small ruminants. He added that 200 animals, including breeding stock, have already been procured under the programme.
“Let’s make sure that the first generation is shared according to the project document so that we can have the spillover effect where many farmers can benefit,” he said.
CPCU Project Coordinator Mamour Alieu Jagne said the programme’s replication from the first P2RS phase demonstrates that the model is working and producing results.
“We need to take bold steps to expand and replicate this kind of initiative nationwide,” Jagne said, adding that scaling up local livestock production could reduce import dependence and lower costs during major religious festivals such as Tobaski.
Director General of Livestock Services Dr Abdou Ceesay described the distribution as “another very important milestone” for national livestock development.
“It looks like a one-off thing, but with this arrangement, many generations are to benefit from this project,” Dr. Ceesay said, while stressing the importance of veterinary care, monitoring, and compliance with livestock sharing arrangements.
Agriculture Minister Demba Sabally said the initiative is a “revolving, regenerative scheme” designed to reduce poverty while building “long-term resilience, strengthening livelihoods, and ensuring sustained income generation for farming households.”
Sabally said early implementation has already produced “positive socio-economic benefits” despite operational challenges, showing that the model can improve both household welfare and broader community resilience.
He announced the handover of 100 goats, including 75 females and 25 males, to the Department of Livestock Services in Sololo, Central River Region, and said the scheme’s transparent beneficiary selection process ensures vulnerable farmers are prioritized through fairness and inclusion.
Sabally also oversaw the handover of 125 agricultural machines, including rice mills, maize shellers, coarse grain mills, and findi processing machines, to the Department of Agriculture for onward distribution to farmers in Sapu.
Ebrima O Jallow, President of NaLOA, said the project is transformative and has strong potential to reduce poverty and food insecurity.
He urged beneficiaries to properly care for the animals and follow project guidelines to protect its long-term sustainability and ensure wider community benefit.
