Synopsis
She farmer is the story of a seventeen-year old schoolgirl, Marie, who develops the passion for agriculture and, despite all the foreseen obstacles, succeeded in becoming an expert.

Intelligent, ambitious and perseverant, Marie faces criticism and insults from her classmates, incredulity from her parents and the community that see farming as strange for girls, and broken promises.

She is adamantine and impervious to all obstacles and with the encouragement of Mr Bah, her agriculture teacher, she sets up a farm in her backyard. She learns of how to care for the soil and the plant siblings as well as how to till the soil, plant the siblings and care for the garden. Few exploits expose her to the community and the international body where she receives accolade for her venture which gradually grows to a large farm.

Marie later extends her generosity to the other farmers by helping them improve their farming skills and she opens an international market after a little hardship. As Marie continues to excel in her endeavour, she receives a political appointment making her a Minister of Agriculture. At the end of the story, she marries an old schoolmate, Michael.

Comment
The choice of farming as the main theme is inventive. In both the national and the international stage, food self-sufficiency is becoming the major topic. In the Gambia, the present government under its leader has time and again advocated for food self-sufficiency. Agriculture remains one of the major sources of revenue for the Gambia and yet the rudimentary form of agriculture remains a handicap in boosting the products.

Another important issue is the use of modern advance techniques of food processing for export to other countries. It is a common sight to see fruits littering the streets when they could have been processed in other forms and preserved for export. During the mango season, one cannot help but see rotten mangoes littering all the streets. Lemon and kabba are two other fruits in season. Juice, jam and marmalade can be end products if these fruits are processed.

In Mary Wadda's story, Marie, the protagonist, uses these techniques to export her products. The story therefore encourages the use of new technology to develop agriculture. Youngsters, particularly those in school, are encouraged to read the book and discover this young rising author. Those who are answering the call to go back to the land might certainly find the information in the book very useful.

Author
Mary Wadda is daughter to Mustapha Wadda and Tabitha Touray. She was born on 15 January 1987 in Banjul. She attended Bakau Lower Basic School and then The Gambia Methodist Senior Secondary School. She took up passion for writing when she was only 15 and since she has succeeded in producing three books: Jaan in 2003, Out of Darkness in 2005 and then her latest and best work, She-Farmer this year. She is presently on her fourth book.

Mary believes that writers are necessary in helping sensitise on issues that can help national development. This is a manifest in her third book which is properly research in relations to the theme. However, to produce works of international standard, one needs resources as the only possible avenue here is self-publishing.

Like most of her counterparts, she has discovered that it is very expensive to be a self-publisher particularly if one comes from a family of very modest background. She appeals to philanthropists and art lovers to help provide assistance and patronise writers.