BANJUL, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Women working at the Banjulinding garden in the Gambian capital Banjul have been giving themselves a sustainable livelihood with their efforts and skills in horticulture.
One of the gardeners, Marie Ngum said her biggest achievement from the garden work is financing her children's education from basic to the the senior secondary level.
"Personally, this has been helping me a lot because I remember sponsoring one of my children's school fees from here until he graduated. I am also supporting my last-born's education who will complete (studies) next year. I paid his tuition fee and give his daily lunch monies," she told Xinhua.
Ngum says with good harvest from her garden, she uses the money to support her family to make ends meet.
Ngum is one among over sixty women who are currently working at the Banjulinding garden, which is a land piece measuring seven hectares dedicated and supported by the government.
Mama Sanneh is another woman who works in the garden and said she created a bank account to be able to save money for emergency needs, thanks to the garden.
"You know that I did not go to school so formal work (for me) is not expected. However, it doesn't mean it is the end of the world. I believe that I can still earn something and help myself without depending on people. This is why I am venturing into gardening and I have a passion for it," Sanneh told Xinhua.
The garden produces different types of crops including beans, tomato, garden egg, pumpkin, cucumber, among others.
Harvesting her beans, Binta Jobe said the garden has protected her from embarrassments in many occasions as she is able to settle all her debts by working at the garden.
A committee member of the garden, Yama Badjie said the women are doing the work as a way of contributing to the success of eradicating poverty and hunger as per the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
"We are doing our part. It does not mean we will feed the entire Gambians or the world... It has to start with ourselves. If we get ourselves free from poverty it means we are no longer a burden on government or the world. This is why we are doing this. It has not been easy at all but certainly our gains make us forget the hardships we encounter," she said.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the horticulture sector contributes about four percent to the country's GDP, and is an important source of employment for the population.
Meanwhile, the Food and Agriculture Development (FAO) says Gambian women account for 50 percent of the country's total labour force.
