The National Farmers’ Platform recently wrapped-up a ten-day outreach forum with its grassroots member organisations, with support from the Non-State Actors Strengthening Programme of the EC, aimed at strengthening the functioning of the district and regional Farmers’ Platforms in The Gambia.

The programme targeted Farmers’ Platforms in two regions (North Bank and Central River Region) and three districts in the North Bank (Upper Nuimi, Lower Nuimi and Illiassa).  The team for the outreach meetings comprised Alhagie Mboge, 2nd Vice President of the National Farmers’ Platform Executive Committee; Marie Adams, National Coordinator; and Alhagie Njie, a volunteer at the secretariat.
 
The National Coordinator of the Platform, Adams led the discussion at the meeting, giving an introduction on the significance of the meeting, its objective, and expected outcomes. She urged for open and frank discussions on the reasons for the non-functioning of some of the district and regional Farmers’ Platforms and ways  that these Platforms could be effectively operational.

Discussions at the meeting centered on  how the Farmers’ Platforms should develop a more sustainable mechanism of holding meetings on a regular basis, regularization of the membership of the  district and regional Platforms, leadership issues, issues of representation, information flow within the Platforms, fundraising issues and the up coming National Farmers’ Platform Congress. The meetings also attempted to address governance of the Farmers’ Platforms, making reference to the Farmers’ Platform Regional By-Laws.  

In all meetings, farmers expressed their dissatisfaction in the apparent lack of consistent communication flow between the Farmers Platform committees at the different levels of the Platform (district, regional and national).  This it was stated, was caused by  the inability of most of the Platforms to meet their meeting expenses which led to a situation of   infrequent meetings. Hence most of the Platforms found it more convenient to connect to the National Platform rather than the other districts or regional Platforms. This has created some lapses in the communication system of the Platform requiring an urgent attention.  

The meetings also provided an opportunity for farmers to discuss around the issues currently affecting them; such as poor harvests, timely access to affordable fertilizer, access to quality seeds, micro finance, farm implements,  marketing of farm produce and satisfactory extension services.  The farmers tasked the National Farmers’ Platform to take up these issues with the government and other agencies that could help them provide a solution to these problems.