Women farmers frequently begin their days before sunrise in many rural areas of the Gambia to make sure they have adequate water to irrigate their gardens and to cook, clean, and take a bath at home.
“Some of us would wake up as early as 3.00 a.m. to 4.00 a.m. just to get water. Hyenas attacked us on three different occasions,” said Salla Bah, a vegetable farmer in the Central River Region in the north of the Gambia. “We had to endure all these challenges to be able to water our crops and find time for chores at home.”
Salla relies on one of her village’s three deep water wells, like the majority of the locals. You can never arrive too early, and arriving late will cost you the morning’s pay as well as the rest of the day.
The community members can provide their homes with food and revenue thanks to the vegetable farms, which are important sources of income.
A project to install boreholes for water-strapped community gardens was launched by FAO in partnership with the Gambian Ministry of Agriculture in 2013 and was sponsored by the European Union and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
But these aren’t your typical boreholes; they have solar-powered pumps that fill up filtration-equipped reservoirs with pure water for livestock and household use, as well as irrigation.
In villages around the Gambia, FAO has installed 34 solar-powered water systems to irrigate communal vegetable gardens and offer livestock watering stations. Over 6 600 community members—90% of whom are women—are benefiting from a greener future because to this.
In the northern River Gambia, where there is serious deforestation and land degradation, ten additional solar-powered livestock water systems are in advanced construction.
“Before the installation of the solar systems and boreholes, we always had water challenges. Now that is in the past,” said Foday Jadama, a farmer in the community. “We now have water in abundance to grow anything we desire.”
Supporting climate mitigation and adaptation
With the effects of climate change ever-present, water access is increasingly critical to the survival of communities in the Gambia’s arid rural areas. “Aside from the economic benefits, this project is also very important when it comes to climate change,” said Dodou Trawally, the national focal person for the GEF in the Gambia.
“Managing the effects of climate change is about two things,” he continued. “It is about mitigation and adaptation. This solar-powered system addresses both, hence its importance and significance to the Gambia.”
With the off-grid systems irrigating the land, farmers such as Salla and Foday, are leading the charge in climate adaptation, setting an example of how green solutions can be a building block in climate action.
Ownership equals sustainability
The local communities are taking pride in these solar-powered systems. They have a sense of ownership and are partners in the systems’ development and maintenance. Community members also contribute a small monthly amount to support the system financially, a stipulation implemented through the community’s by-laws.
“I am responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the solar panels,” Jalamang Touray said proudly. “With the help of two women, we clean the solar panels every Friday.”
Jalamang works in the vegetable garden with the women and young people, whilst other men are primarily engaged in millet or cowpea farming. Together, they take care of the GEF-funded five-hectare vegetable garden.
Jalamang received instruction on how to repair simple system issues, maintain the solar panels, and watch the water flow into the above-ground galvanised water storage tank.
The inhabitants of Kuwonkuba village and 33 other villages around the nation have established self-sufficient and resilient lives by integrating community members in the conceptualization, planning, implementation, and maintenance of the project facilities.
They are able to support themselves and their children while also enjoying a level of comfort they had never known before.
Jalamang works in the vegetable garden with the women and young people, whilst other men are primarily engaged in millet or cowpea farming. Together, they take care of the GEF-funded five-hectare vegetable garden.
Jalamang received instruction on how to repair simple system issues, maintain the solar panels, and watch the water flow into the above-ground galvanised water storage tank.
The inhabitants of Kuwonkuba village and 33 other villages around the nation have established self-sufficient and resilient lives by integrating community members in the conceptualization, planning, implementation, and maintenance of the project facilities.
They are able to support themselves and their children while also enjoying a level of comfort they had never known before.
“The system has enabled us to financially take care of our children and health, pay school fees and look after other needs,” says Awa Mbenga of Jamali Ganyado village, standing in front of her garden with a smile. “Since we got the solar-powered water, we have time to stay at home, eat and drink tea before heading to the gardens.”
The FAO and its partners are assisting in the transition to effective, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems by using cutting-edge solutions like solar-powered irrigation.
The most vulnerable populations in Africa are being helped by these technologies to create sustainable means of subsistence, making them more resilient to climatic shocks and, more than ever, capable of higher levels of output.