1 Farming in The Gambia.

About 70 percent of the people of The Gambia are farmers. Farming is hard work. During the planting season farmers must cut down the thick bush and clear the area. After they have cut down the bush they must plant the seeds. They must keep the land free from the weeds while the plants are small. Sometimes the young plants die because there is not enough rain, and sometimes they die because the rain is too heavy. Sometimes the plants are eaten by insects and at other times they don't grow well because the soil is poor. Farmers watch their crops anxiously.

If the crops have grown well, then harvest time is a happy season. Everyone works hard to gather in the cassava, maize, ground nuts, or whatever is growing on the farm. People sing and dance and there is plenty to eat.

Many young people don't want to be farmers. They want easier job in an office where they are sure of their money. This is sad, because we must grow more food in our country to feed the growing population. The Government gives loans to farmers. Farmers can become rich, now, if they use morden methods and buy tractors and ploughs to help them on their farms. If a farmer has got a tractor, he can plough a large area of land and increase the size of his farm. Instead of keeping half a dozen hens, he can buy big hen-house and have a poultry farm with thousands of hens. Farming in The Gambia is changing.

avataravatar