There are almost 7000 Peace Corps volunteers serving currently, in more than 60 countries around the world. To be a PCV you must be a US citizen, and at least 18 years old. Peace Corps was started in March 1961, when JFK was President, and over 220,000 people have served since the program began. A volunteer serves in one of 6 sectors: Agriculture, Environment, Health, Education, Community Economic Development, and Youth in Development. Peace Corps has had a continuous presence in The Gambia for over 50 years, and currently there are about 100 volunteers serving in 3 sectors: Agriculture, Health, and Education.

A PCV is a US federal employee, our salary is $350 per month, paid at the end of the 2 years of service. We receive travel expenses, full medical benefits, and a living allowance commensurate to the standard of living where you are posted. We earn 2 vacation days per month, have 3 personal days per month, and if there is a family emergency, Peace Corps will fly you home at their expense. As a retiree on Social Security, my Medicare  charge is not deducted from my monthly check, because I have medical insurance through the government. This is a good deal for me, and I am able to save my Social Security while I am being supported by Uncle Sam.

My Official Job Description: Agriculture Extension Specialist

Sustainable Agriculture Extension Agents work to improve food security in rural areas by:
• Promoting new and improved techniques for tree nurseries and tree planting, and helping establish woodlots and orchards
• Working alongside community farmers, mainly women’s groups, or with village development committees, to extend new and improved gardening and vegetable production techniques
• Promoting and training farmers in bee keeping
• Promoting and training farmers in nutrition and nutrition sensitive agriculture

The Gambia has a short rainy season (3-4 months) and a long dry season. Most agricultural activities are done during the short rainy season; therefore, to enhance the productive capacity of community farmers, the project plan focuses on establishing and improving dry season vegetable gardens and tree nurseries.
Most farmers are highly skilled in field crop production, but may have less experience with vegetable gardening and tree nurseries, leaving an opportunity for Volunteers to have a real impact in helping farmers grow better quality vegetables, fruits, and other trees in a sustainable manner.
Volunteers also have the opportunity help fight malnutrition in the community by helping with nutrition education.

With collaboration from the Government of The Gambia and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Peace Corps Volunteers are identifying ways to reduce poverty by improving agricultural productivity, promoting sustainable natural resource management, and encouraging agricultural diversification. Agriculture Volunteers promote best agricultural practices by helping local farmers learn to manage their fields and forests in a sustainable manner, assisting communities in building permagardens, starting tree nurseries, promoting composting, and developing apiary projects. They will also work to combat some of The Gambia’s more pressing environmental concerns, such as erosion and deforestation, through these practices. While working in local communities, Volunteers will help generate income, encourage healthy eating habits, cultivate environmentally-friendly habits, and improve overall quality of life.

My PCV assignment is at the Agriculture Technical College (ATC) in Farafenni, which is in the North Bank Region of The Gambia. ATC is a private Upper Basic Senior Secondary School, and is supported by the Anglican Mission Institute (AMI). All schools in The Gambia are free to the students, whether they are government, private, or Islamic, and students wear patches on their uniforms indicating which school they attend. ATC has about 400 students, in grades 7 through 12. There are four curriculum tracts that students choose to follow for a three year period: Agriculture, Woodworking, Metal Shop, and Home Studies, in addition to all the basic subjects of math, social studies, geography, language arts, ect.

The administration at ATC is very supportive of the Peace Corps projects at the school, and they also receives support from other organizations that benefit all students. Schools for Gambia(website), makes yearly visits to many schools through out the country, donating much needed supplies. Many organizations from the United Kingdom have special relationships with Gambians. The Gambia was a British colony from 1821 until it achieved independence in 1965, but was still part of the Commonwealth of Nations, until 2013 when it terminated that relationship. A PCV is encouraged to seek out and work with other NGO groups working in country, creating opportunities that benefit the people of this developing nation.

I am the third Agriculture PCV assigned to ATC, and the previous volunteer Erin McGown, started a chicken facility as one of her projects. The goal is to have 50 hens, raising chicks, and laying eggs before marketing the surplus to the community. There are currently a dozen hens, one rooster, and dozens of baby chicks hatching now. She also developed a prototype for a hutch to be used in a home compound, because many families do not manage their chicken flocks for maximum production and safety. Managing animals here is not well developed, and most chickens just roam around, making it hard to locate their eggs, and protecting them from predators. A simple addition to a farm of a secure coop, can provide a family with a good source of food for the table, and manure for the garden.

During my Community Entry Period (see previous post), one of my tasks is to develop my own ideas for projects I want to complete as a PCV. The staff I will be working with at ATC are: Jatta – Master Gardener and my Counterpart, Gaye Alhagie – agriculture teacher, Ansu Kowah – Principal, Saite Saine – Vice Principal, and Anna Mendy – school account. The Principal, Ansu and Vice Principal, Saite had extensive agriculture business backgrounds before coming to ATC.  Anna, has worked at ATC for 13 years, is married with 2 daughters, and is an atypical Gambian, because most women do not work full time outside the home.  The agriculture teacher, Gaye, is completing his student teacher training this year, and will receive his certificate in June. The university course work doesn’t include a lot of practical skills, and I see part of my role will be to help him develop a “green thumb”. Jatta, has a great deal of experience growing crops in this tropical climate, is a beekeeper, knowledgeable in grafting trees, and maintaining a tree nursery.

I spend most of my time with Jatta, who is an amazing horticulture resource, and generously shares his knowledge with me. I am very fortunate to have him as my counterpart, and he is making this PCV journey very rewarding. I have a list of ideas I will be presenting to the Peace Corps Program Managers, during our in service the last two weeks of March. I will discuss those ideas in future posts.

I am just at the beginning of my PCV service, and still have a lot to learn about what will be possible to accomplish during the next 21 months. I am eager to continue meeting new people, and develop my own projects. In the meantime I am having fun gardening, and familiarizing myself with all things Gambian. I will consider my service successful, if I leave having made even a small improvement for the community I serve. See below for a link to a short video about a Gambian that was influence by Peace Corps.

Link to view a video about – Sarjo Dumbuya