{"id":91082,"date":"2025-11-30T07:15:44","date_gmt":"2025-11-30T07:15:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/gambias-agricultural-future-and-youth-involvement"},"modified":"2025-11-30T07:41:58","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T07:41:58","slug":"gambias-agricultural-future-and-youth-involvement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gambias-agricultural-future-and-youth-involvement","title":{"rendered":"Gambia’S Agricultural Future and Youth Involvement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>ANM Ousainu Darboe, leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP), has called for a fundamental overhaul of The Gambia\u2019s agricultural sector and urged young people to take the lead in modernizing one of the country\u2019s most critical industries.<\/b><\/p>\n

Speaking at the Gambia College School of Agriculture, Darboe outlined a series of structural weaknesses he said continue to undermine the sector\u2019s potential. Among them, he cited the country\u2019s heavy reliance on rain-fed farming, the prevalence of outdated tools, low levels of mechanization, post-harvest losses estimated at 30 to 40 percent, soil degradation, unpredictable climate patterns, and limited access to financing\u2014particularly for young farmers.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur agricultural sector today faces serious structural problems,\u201d Darboe said. \u201cA nation that cannot feed itself will always remain vulnerable. It is incumbent on all of us to transform agriculture into a modern, profitable, youth-driven sector informed by strategic national priorities centered on five major pillars of reform.\u201d<\/p>\n

Darboe emphasized that students enrolled in agricultural studies will play a decisive role in shaping that transformation.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou, the students\u2014The Gambia\u2019s future lies with you,\u201d he told them. \u201cWith your energy and expertise, I know we can achieve it. The future of food security rests on your shoulders, and this country will need your leadership, your expertise, and your courage.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also praised community-led initiatives, including those spearheaded by Mr. Mendy, aimed at supporting youth participation in agriculture. Darboe warned, however, that failing to engage young Gambians risks wasting valuable talent.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen young people are not given opportunities, when they grow frustrated, that is when they gather in the hoods, drink attaya, and drift into activities not expected of them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The UDP leader\u2019s remarks come as The Gambia seeks to revitalize agriculture to strengthen food security and reduce dependence on imports. With a rapidly growing youth population, policymakers and development partners have increasingly underscored the need to integrate young people into agricultural value chains.<\/p>\n

Darboe\u2019s proposed five pillars of reform are expected to focus on modernizing farming practices, improving access to financing, expanding market linkages, elevating youth participation, and strengthening agricultural institutions.<\/p>\n

As The Gambia charts a path toward a more resilient and productive agricultural sector, the role of the country\u2019s youth\u2014Darboe stressed\u2014will be central to delivering lasting change.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. ANM Ousainu Darboe, leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP), has called for a fundamental overhaul of The Gambia\u2019s agricultural sector and urged young people to take the lead in modernizing one of the country\u2019s most critical industries. Speaking at the Gambia College School of Agriculture, Darboe outlined a series of structural […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":91081,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,10],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-91082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-parties","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nGambia'S Agricultural Future and Youth Involvement - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"ANM Ousainu Darboe, leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP), has called for a fundamental overhaul of The Gambia\u2019 ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gambias-agricultural-future-and-youth-involvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gambia'S Agricultural Future and Youth Involvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"ANM Ousainu Darboe, leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP), has called for a fundamental overhaul of The Gambia\u2019 ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gambias-agricultural-future-and-youth-involvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-30T07:15:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-30T07:41:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/11\/sm_1764475894.431633.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gambias-agricultural-future-and-youth-involvement#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gambias-agricultural-future-and-youth-involvement\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Gambia’S Agricultural Future and Youth Involvement\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-30T07:15:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-30T07:41:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gambias-agricultural-future-and-youth-involvement\"},\"wordCount\":400,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gambias-agricultural-future-and-youth-involvement#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/11\/sm_1764475894.431633.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"parties\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gambias-agricultural-future-and-youth-involvement#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gambias-agricultural-future-and-youth-involvement\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/gambias-agricultural-future-and-youth-involvement\",\"name\":\"Gambia'S Agricultural Future and Youth Involvement - 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