The second stage of the wells project in The Gambia involved the creation of community vegetables patches. The only requirement that was established with the locals is that once the wells are finished, they must cultivate the lands for their own self-sufficiency.
To do this they were taught the best way to do it and provided with everything they need to succeed.
The men are responsible for working the land, while the women are responsible for sowing, watering and harvesting the crops.
Different varieties of tomatoes, onions (very consumed in Gambia), lettuce, beans, eggplants, peppers, cabbages, radishes, sunflowers, banana trees, mangoes and papayas, are strategically planted to create shadows.
By improving nutrition, we reduce the risk of diseases and therefore we can improve life expectancy. At the same time, once the villagers get the necessary food for self-consumption, they can sell the rest and create better economic resources to improve local development.
