At just 24 years old, Alhadgie Faal has built a successful small business by turning his family’s land in Kanuma, in the North Bank region of The Gambia, into a sizable property on which he grows fruit and vegetables to sell to restaurants and hotels for sale.
He founded his company after receiving training from a UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF). program[DD1] focused on supporting women and youth, particularly in rural areas.
“Before starting this company I was a carpenter, but farming has always been my passion. Without agriculture we cannot feed the nation and I had a dream to provide The Gambia with healthy produce.
About four years ago my stepfather told me that there was free UN training in agriculture, horticulture and food processing. He applied to me and I was accepted.
Gambian fruit and vegetable garden run by Alhadgie Faal and his brother.
Planting the seeds of a company
I was very lucky because we are a farming family with little money and I could not have afforded fees and transport. But all of these expenses were included in the deal so I could attend college.
The training was very helpful. We learned about agronomy, how to manage plants, when to plant and how to choose the right location.
After graduating I got the idea to start my own fruit and vegetable business. My stepmother owned a piece of land and she allowed me and my brother to use it. The land was bushy then, so my brother and I cleared it to make a garden.
In the beginning I faced many challenges. Every time we planted or sowed seeds, rodents would come and destroy everything. We also struggled with termites, pests, and disease.
Ultimately, we overcame these problems. Today we protect the plants with nets to protect them from rodents and we cover them with plastic for three to four days to generate heat that suppresses the termites.
Gambian fruit and vegetable entrepreneur Alhadgie Faal
From peppers to papaya
We grow many different plants here. We have green peppers, hot yellow peppers, papayas and strawberries.
We have successfully sold our fruits in Banjul region. We supply restaurants, hotels and some private individuals.
Many people like our products because they are very tasty. Our strawberries are big and sweet, and all of our fruit and veg is organic. This is crucial as chemicals are not good for either human health or the environment.
Starting an agricultural business in The Gambia is very difficult. You must be patient, otherwise you will not succeed. Transportation is a problem, and expansion is very complicated because of the difficulty in accessing grants and credit. Funding is a big issue, especially for young farmers.
My advice to anyone who wants to become an entrepreneur is to focus on agriculture so we can avoid imports from our neighboring countries. We have the land and we can get water from the river. We have everything we need to survive.
I want Gambians to eat Gambian strawberries. People have the wrong idea that we don’t grow the fruit here and that motivates me to succeed.”
