Gambia is Good
Helping Gambia grow
Fatou Manneh works in the Ndmeban Japichum community garden in The Gambia’s Western Division with 120 other women and 4 men. They used to grow a small range of seasonal produce and varieties using traditional, labour-intensive practices.
“Marketing this produce was a big problem. As the markets are flooded with produce during the traditional growing season, we got a low price. And a lack of information led to middlemen taking the major part of our earnings. Since 2005, we have sold everything to Gambia is Good and have also received a lot of training on production and the use of hybrid varieties. Year round production became a reality.”
Development through sustainable business.
GiG is...
- A horticultural sales & marketing business conceived as a partnership between Haygrove (a private UK business) and Concern Universal (an international NGO)
- A market outlet and distribution channel for small-scale Gambian farmers, helping to enable their transition from subsistence farming to commercial enterprise.
- Providing links between rural areas and the tourist industry, by supplying high quality locally grown produce to hotels and restaurants.
- An advocate for sustainable tourism development, though partnership with UK charity The Travel Foundation.
- A training and demonstration facility for both farmers and tourists, provided by the GiG Farm
GIG now purchases from nearly 1,000 growers, 90% of which are women.
These farmers are making the transition from subsistence
agriculture to commercial enterprise. Women in the most rural
communities, who previously had virtually no cash income, are now
making up to £150 per month. Recent independent evaluation
states that over the last three years, GiG growers have increased
their income by an average of 500%.
Related pages
Downloads
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Strategic Consulting Report
(PDF 2188 Kb)
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An exploration of business and NGO perspectives on CSR, sustainable development and partnership
(PDF 488 Kb)
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'Growing for a future in The Gambia' as featured on Farmers Weekly 18 April 2008
(PDF 579 Kb)
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'How Gambia eased its growing pains' article as featured in R-travel
(PDF 946 Kb)
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The Travel Foundation flyer
(PDF 3749 Kb)
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