A community garden in The Gambia empowers women

The women were involved in the project from the very beginning and played an active role in shaping it. Today, 100 women from Boraba benefit from the community garden. “The garden is changing our living conditions,” explains villager Kunkung Jamba. “The garden provides us with healthy and good food that gives us strength. We want to grow our own food so that we can live healthily.”

At the end of 2023, the RAPUNZEL One World Organic Foundation approved funding for the community garden, and the measures funded were implemented the following year. This included building a fence to protect the one-hectare garden from stray animals. Our funding was also used to finance beekeeping equipment (30 protective suits, 20 bee boxes, beekeeping and honey production equipment) and to build a garden shed (storage for tools, room for processing honey, toilet).

Other measures in the first year of the project include training in organic farming. 10 women took part in the training courses and have the task of passing on their knowledge to 10 other women each. They will continue to be accompanied by the agricultural expert for a year. Basic accounting and self-organisation skills were also taught.

30 women received training in beekeeping and honey production. They are also continuously accompanied by the beekeeping expert throughout the first year. 20 bee boxes were installed, some of which have already been colonised by bee colonies. In addition, 100 fruit trees were planted and finally a well was drilled to enable irrigation of the vegetable garden.

In 2025, the foundation stone was laid for the creation of similar community gardens in four other villages, based on the Boraba model. This will expand the project to include 800 women who have already organised themselves into village groups. Based on the experience gained in Boraba, the project is placing even greater emphasis on education, networking and personal responsibility. "Education is the foundation for sustainable gardening," says Bente Stachowske of Nyodeema Foundation e.V.

In addition to Gambian experts, the women from Boraba are also contributing their expertise and sharing their experiences. A conference of the five villages and other interested communities is planned, which will strengthen the emerging network.