The AGRO-YOUTH pilot project aims to improve the entrepreneurial skills and knowledge capacity of youth and women in the Agri-food sector in the Gambia. The project uses marketoriented approach to improve the skills and employability of youth and women already working in the Agri-food sector. The project also aims to improve gender equality and the empowerment of women by creating sustainable Agri-food systems. The AGRO-YOUTH pilot project is being implemented in the West Coast Region (WCR), of The Gambia which is one of the five administrative divisions of the country.

The project contributes to Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular Goals 2 (Zero Hunger), 4 (Quality Education), 5 (Gender Equality) and 12 (Sustainable Consumption and Production).

The AGRO-YOUTH project is a pilot initiative designed to empower young people and women in The Gambia’s West Coast Region (WCR) through entrepreneurship training in the agricultural and food sector. This project is initiated by Collective Action for Sustainable Development(CASD), which is a registered non-governmental organization in The Gambia that advocates for collective action in the pursuit and realization of sustainable human development and fulfillment of human rights.

Aspiring entrepreneurs face different challenges, which affect their decision to start or continue in businesses. Some of these are unique to smallholder business entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs need to plan well for their business to flourish. They need to be aware of the implication of their good planning or lack of it, decisions and actions they make to their well-being, their family, their society, the environment and global community at large.  Their business, family and personal well-being and the environment form a tripod working together to achieve the business ambitions. All the three must be in a good balance. Entrepreneurs need to learn how to keep their ventures consistently competitive and sustainably operating, for their well-being, for the progress of the business and that of the environment; a value highly upheld by AGRO-YOUTH Project.

The Gambian population is youthful, with over 37% under the age of 30. This demographic advantage, however, is overshadowed by high youth unemployment and a lack of opportunities within agriculture, the country’s primary economic driver. Despite its importance, Gambian agriculture is dominated by subsistence farming, with limited value creation and low productivity. This discourages young people from entering the field, hindering both agricultural development and youth employment prospects.

The AGRO-YOUTH project aims to address these challenges by improving the productive capacities of young people and women in agriculture, while simultaneously promoting innovation and value addition within the agricultural sector among this demographic.

To achieve these goals, the project undertook a series of activities. First, a needs assessment and case study was conducted to identify the specific opportunities and challenges faced by youth in agro-food entrepreneurship. Based on these findings, a comprehensive training guide on agro-food entrepreneurship was developed. Local experts were identified and selected from various agricultural institutions across The Gambia and equipped with the skills to develop a training guide and deliver this training program through a Training of Trainers (TOT) workshops and support from international partners from BGZ and Landestelle virtually. A total of fifteen Trainers were trained and tasked to develop a training guide for the project which was successfully done.

 On the 26^th and 27^th July 2024 CASD staff and stakeholders set up the outline for the TOT and Development of training guide which is a very important activity. Trainers were selected from Agricultural centres and institutions across the country including The Gambia College School of Agriculture. Five days training sessions on agro food entrepreneurship was conducted. Topics were identified and developed into a training guide

The core of the project was the implementation of entrepreneurship and life skills training workshops specifically designed for young people and women in the WCR. Three tech workshops totaling fifteen days of interactive practical sections on series of topics including agricultural entrepreneurship, Record keeping, Production, Soil and water management and so on was held for 60 selected agro food entrepreneurs selected from the community needs assessment data of respondents. To ensure ongoing support for project participants, a mentorship program was established. Additionally, a policy dialogue held to raise awareness and advocate for policy changes that support youth engagement in agro-food entrepreneurship.

The project’s achievements were showcased through an open day, fostering networking among participants and stakeholders. Participants had the opportunity to share their experiences, business plans and sample products with the different stakeholders in attendance which increases their chances of accessing loans and grants. Finally, radio programs were used to raise broader public awareness about the project and the entrepreneurship opportunities available in the agro-food sector. The community of West Coast Region and beyond had the opportunity to hear firsthand information from the project beneficiaries, business persons, trainers on the benefits of the project and their experiences. Some community members also shared their experiences and suggestions on how to make agriculture more viable business in The Gambia.

The success of the AGRO-YOUTH project hinged on collaboration with a diverse range of stakeholders therefore series of collaborative meetings were held between different stakeholders including The Gambia College Principal and Head of school of Agriculture, Permanent secretary Ministry of Agriculture, Deputy Permanent Secretary and staff of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, Director General National Agricultural Research Institute, University of Science and Technology management, Child Fund The Gambia staff in different federations in WCR. These meetings brought about greater partnership between the stakeholders which immensely helped in the effective implementation of project activities and sustainability initiatives.

Visits to Agricultural institutions of Landestelle team and CASD Project Manager to have firsthand information on agriculture in The Gambia including successes and challenges which took us to Chamen Agricultural Centre, Njawara Agricultural Centre, Sapu Regional Agricultural Directorate Region 5. Site visits to agricultural fields were made and also discussion with Agricultural staff and community members within these communities were fruitful in identifying their challenges as well as ways of collaborating for possible support.

The project was being implemented by CASD with financial and technical support from BGZ Berliner Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit mbH which is a joint institution of the State of Berlin and the Berlin Chamber of Crafts supporting international development and cooperation, and Landesstelle zur Förderung gewerblicher Berufe in Entwicklungsländern is a training organization affiliated with the Berlin Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family, Germany