Action Aid The Gambia, in collaboration with its hunger free partners (NAWFA, NAYAFS, ADWAC and AFET), has organised a week-long caravan tour of the whole country aimed at supporting women farmers in the efforts to combat food crises in The Gambia.

According to Kujejatou Manneh-Jallow, the country director, ActioNAid The Gambia, women can play a vital role in combating hunger in The Gambia. According to her, women produce about 90% of the locally produced rice in the country. She added that lack of enough land is a major problem for the women farmers.

"The reason why we organised this countrywide caravan tour is to support women farmers to have control over farm lands,'' she noted.

For her part, Jainaba Nyang-Njie, the women's rights manager, Action Aid The Gambia, said the week-long countrywide tour would enable them to meet and discuss with women farmers in the provinces, and Alkalolu, Seyfolu and other officials, so that they could influence them to provide women farmers with more lands for farming.

"After the tour, the caravan will arrive at Buffer Zone in the Kanifing Municipality, where FAO, DOSA and ActionAid will organise a candlelight vigil and a petition from the women farmers that took part in the campaign will be presented to the speaker of the National Assembly," she said.