I took myself on a field trip to My Farm, an educational center for children and farmers started by the Norwegian Charitable Foundation Africa StartUp.  Their mission is to improve livelihoods in The Gambia through education in agriculture innovation, environmental protections and entrepreneurism. I was impressed with this beautiful two and half acre farm, located in the Western Region of The Gambia, where the climate is more moderate because it is close to the ocean. The entire farm is set up to educate with demonstrations on how to plan, grow, use and market agriculture products on a small scale in a sustainable manner.

I met Kelly Smeets, Horticulture Production Manager, who shared her passion about promoting agriculture in The Gambia. She is responsible for ensuring high quality vegetable production using mechanized drip irrigation, micro irrigation and local watering techniques. She has developed the farm into a sustainable center for horticulture excellence, including on-farm research, farmer trainings and alternative energy demonstrations. I strolled around for more than three hours investigating the many aspects of this incredible place.

The day I visited there were several groups of school children learning and playing; a volunteer from England making biochar; a builder from Denmark supervising the construction of a piggery; and numerous employees maintaining the grounds. The students are encouraged to ask questions, including “why” different events happen and discovering their own answers. The curriculum offers skill building lessons and micro-franchise opportunities, while providing support to help create successful small businesses. The focus is on turning crops into products that can be sold in the marketplace. Products such as soap, candles, honey, and produce that increase profits, maximize nutrition, reduce waste and imports. The My Farm School Truck visits local schools, bringing agricultural science and environmental awareness to children living in the city. The Gambia is not all rural and many kids do not know where their food comes from or the income generating opportunities farming has to offer.

There are a variety of work and accomodation options for foreign volunteers. A stay of about a month is encouraged, to give the volunteer the opportunity to participate in all aspects of the farm, as they make a significant contribution to this meaningful project. There are diverse work assignments, and supervision is provided by a staff member at all times, supporting the volunteer in this exotic tropical environment. Internships for Gambians and foreigners are occasionally available, where the intern will teach at the drop in school with students ages five to fifteen. The mission of the school is to inspire children to learn through playing using various educational tools such as Lego, iPads, reading books, creative activities, and basic farming activities. Working at My Farm can be a truly life-changing African experience.

My Farm strives to be as self sufficient as possible with solar and biogas. The biogas digester produces methane from pig manure and spoiled mangoes. Other rotten fruits and vegetables can also be digested. They can recycle a spoiled product into a useful gas and the effluent is good organic fertilizer. Also on display were two types of solar dryers for moringa leaves, mangoes and other garden produce. The permagarden grows enough vegetables year round to supply the kitchen with nutritious organic produce. There were several parabolic cookers for preparing meals, lots of mini water towers scattered around the property to supply the various garden plots, and the compost area is clearly defined with concrete blocks.

It was so inspiring to visit to My Farm after living up country, where life is lived at a subsistence level. The presentation of the items for sale is very attractive, and there is an immaculate kitchen behind the retail area for preparing food products. They have put a lot of time and effort into making relevant training materials that are based on hands-on experience from many years of training at the grass roots level. The training guide they developed is called How to make money, and there are also many video tutorials available for anyone to use. Everything they do is designed to empower Gambians to become successful in a multitude of endeavors.

Everywhere I wandered there was something educational to see and it is all beautifully managed. At the entrance there are micro-garden tables and plants for sale. Following the well marked paths takes you by the classrooms and demonstration areas, an apiary, a small fish pond, another pond under construction, a duck pen, and some rabbit hutches. One rabbit hutch is a double decker arrangement with baby chicks on the upper level and the other rabbit hutch has a worm bed underneath. It was heartening to see the lack of damage from livestock, because up country farmers need to grapple with threat of roaming goats, sheep, cows, donkeys, horses, pigs & chickens. Undoubtedly, their well maintained perimeter fence has made it possible to create a prosperous horticulture operation.

I feel like I just scratched the surface of the many of possibilities being offered at My Farm, and plan to explore more of what is available there in the future. A PCV can arrange for a short term stay, called a “tech exchange” and learn a particular skill to take back to your community. Another option would be to extend my PCV service for a third year, with a placement at My Farm, where I could immerse myself in a project that would be beneficial to this awesome enterprise.

I have highlighted several links in this post to learn more about MyFarm and you can view a two minute YouTube video tour produced in 2015 by Bracken Van Ryssen.