Social empowerment and awareness
Championing inclusive cultural safeguarding of traditional medicinal plants in The Gambia.
Part of the National Coordinating Organization of Farmer Associations The Gambia's communication programme at The Gambia Radio and Television Services (Photo: Kanimang Camara/FAO Gambia)
The National Coordinating Organization of Farmer Associations The Gambia (NACOFAG), headquartered in Brikama, is a legally registered platform coordinating rural producer associations and strengthening livelihoods nationwide. With 383,558 members – 295,958 women and 87,600 men – NACOFAG is one of The Gambia’s largest farmer networks and a leading voice in sustainable agriculture, climate resilience and natural resource management.
Despite its reach, NACOFAG identified a major gap: rural communities lacked accessible, locally relevant information on sustainable farming, forest protection and climate adaptation.
Existing materials were often in English and failed to reach the farmers most reliant on such knowledge. NACOFAG had long championed inclusive communication in local languages but lacked the resources to design and sustain such an effort until Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) support became available.
Forest and Farm Facility activities
With support from FFF, NACOFAG launched a far reaching communication programme using community radio, phone in shows, national radio and television. FFF provided funding, technical support and capacity building, helping NACOFAG train spokespeople, strengthen media partnerships and develop clear, accessible messages on sustainable agriculture and natural resource governance.
From 2023-25, NACOFAG hosted 12 community radio dialogues across rural districts, offering farmers, women leaders, youth groups and local officials a space to discuss agroecology, forest protection and climate adaptation.
All broadcasts were delivered in the five major Indigenous languages in The Gambia (Fula, Jola, Mandinka, Serahule and Wolof), ensuring information reached even the most remote communities.
NACOFAG complemented local broadcasts with national radio and television segments, reaching an estimated 500,000 people: one of the most extensive natural resource management outreach efforts in recent Gambian history. Educational videos on family farming, climate smart practices and grassroots resource governance were disseminated through community gatherings, farmer field schools and social media.
These materials highlighted real farmer experiences and strengthened the capacity of farmer associations such as NACOFAG to mentor new members and act as agents of positive change.
Women, young people and marginalised groups were intentionally featured as contributors and spokespeople, reflecting NACOFAG’s commitment to inclusive communication.
Significance of impact
Through FFF-supported outreach, an estimated 500,000 Gambians have received accessible information in five local languages. For rural communities previously bypassed by formal communication channels, this outreach affirmed the value of their knowledge, languages and farming traditions.
The campaign has strengthened pride in Indigenous stewardship, expanded women and youth participation in natural resource governance, and deepened trust between communities and policymakers.
Farmer associations report greater cohesion and stronger systems for community-led knowledge transfer – shifting public discourse towards local solutions and cultural resilience.
Conclusion
FFF support has enabled NACOFAG to mobilise powerful communication platforms that strengthen community resilience and promote sustainable agriculture across The Gambia.
By investing in inclusive, multilingual communication rooted in lived farmer experiences, NACOFAG has demonstrated accessible information is a transformative tool for empowerment and long-term change – a model ready for replication nationwide.