“Now I Feel That My Work Is Paying Off” – Isatou Sabally

In Ngawarr Village, a simple set of farming tools has helped one woman move from struggling to keep up with the demands of farming to cultivating more land, increasing her harvest and looking to the future with renewed confidence. 

For Isatou Sabally, a smallholder from Ngawarr Village in Niamina East, Central River Region South, farming has always been more than a livelihood. It is a source of income, a way to support her children and an important part of life in her community. 

But for years, farming was an exhausting struggle. 

Like many smallholder farmers in the region, Isatou relied on basic hand tools and labour-intensive methods. Preparing her land and planting crops took long hours, yet the returns were often limited. 

“We used to spend the whole day on the farm using basic hand tools,” she recalls. “Even after all that effort, the harvest was often not enough.” 

Before receiving support, Isatou cultivated two hectares of land, producing an average of just five bags of groundnut per season. Limited access to appropriate farming equipment made it difficult to expand production or make the most of her land. 

For Isatou, the challenge was not a lack of determination. It was having the right resources to turn that determination into results. 

That began to change when ActionAid International The Gambia, through its Local Rights Programme Nine (LRP8), provided farming support to vulnerable farmers in the region. 

The intervention included ploughs, seeders, groundnut seed and donkeys, helping farmers reduce the burden of manual labour and improve the efficiency and timeliness of land preparation and planting. 

For Isatou, the difference was immediate. 

She says: “With the new tools, I can prepare my land much faster,” she says. Now I cultivate about four hectares, which is more than before.” 

Her expanded cultivation has been accompanied by a sharp increase in production. Her groundnut harvest has risen from an average of five bags to 16 bags last season. 

For a farmer who once struggled to achieve modest returns from her land, the change is significant. 

The benefits are not limited to increased production.  

With the heavy work of land preparation reduced, Isatou now has more time to manage household responsibilities and pursue other income-generating activities. 

“Before the work was too heavy, but now I have more time, and the farming is more manageable,” she says. 

The additional harvest has also given her greater flexibility. She can keep what her family needs, sell part of her produce and use the proceeds to meet other household expenses.

“I can now keep enough food for my family and still sell some,” she says. For Isatou, this marks a clear departure from the difficulties she experienced in previous years. 

Before the arrival of the support, we would beg people for groundnut, maize and other things so we could feed our family,” she recalls. “But that is now history.”

The journey is still unfolding. Farmers continue to face climate pressures, rising costs and unpredictable agricultural conditions. But the early results point to a shift towards more productive and resilient farming.

For Isatou, the change is both practical and personal.

“This year, I benefited from the groundnut seed distributed by ActionAid. Like last year, we are hoping for a bumper harvest,” she says with a smile.

Her optimism is grounded in experience.

“Since we received this support last year, we have had a bumper harvest,” she says proudly. “We can now support ourselves and even help our neighbours. We no longer beg. We now farm to feed ourselves, all thanks to ActionAid’s support.”

The intervention has not simply provided Isatou with a donkey, farm implements and seeds. It has helped her cultivate more land, increase her output, reduce the burden of manual labour and strengthen her ability to earn from her work.

“Now I feel that my work is paying off,” she says. “I can support my children better, and I am hopeful for the future.”

For Isatou and other smallholder farmers in CRR South, resilience means having the tools, resources and opportunity to turn hard work into a more secure and dignified livelihood.