The Gambian government co-launched the Regenerative Hubs project on Sunday in an exciting step for regenerative agriculture on a global scale. The Gambia is now set to become one of the leaders in West Africa for regenerative production and processing, with the aim of creating a flourishing rural economy through private-public partnerships in the sector.
The project led by local company Regenerative Hubs Limited, includes key commercial and NGO partners from The Gambia, Ghana, the UK and the U.S..
The regenerative education for farmers involved in the project, with a specific concentration on uplifting women farmers out of poverty, is being provided by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation Centre for No-Till Agriculture (HGBF | CNTA) and the Soil & Climate Initiative (SCI) run by Green America and The Detox Project are involved in planning the regenerative certification processes for crops and products from the project. The education and technical assistance part of this project has been funded by the Obama Foundation and the Golden Peacock Foundation.
The launch event Sunday involved multiple government Ministers who were involved with planting the first Phyla Elite Pongamia and Cashew trees at the initial hub site of 1750 hectares of regenerative agroforestry near Chamen Village in the Nianija District, right on the banks of the River Gambia. The trees were provided by project partners Phyla.earth led by Rabih El Fadel and Shelter for Life International respectively.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for The Gambia to be at the front and center of the growing interest globally in regenerative agriculture and regenerative certified products. We will be concentrating our initial project on intercropping Phyla Elite Pongamia, cashews, castor and sesame and other local crops, with the aim of providing regenerative biofuels and high-protein crops for local and international markets,” Jaha Dukureh, Co-Founder of Regenerative Hubs Limited stated Sunday.
In a show of massive government support, the launch event was led by the Gambia Investment and Export Promotion Agency (GIEPA) and involved the Ministry of Trade, Industry, the Ministry Environment, Climate Change & Natural Resources, the Ministry of Lands and Regional Government and the Ministry of Agriculture as well as Local Governors, Chiefs and Members of Parliament.
“Our Ministry, under the abled vision of His Excellency the President of the Republic of The Gambia, Adama Barrow, is implementing a policy framework that actively promotes trade and investments, robust private sector engagement and integration of climate-smart agriculture, soil rehabilitation, and value chain development. To this end, we are harmonizing agroforestry initiatives with national land use policies, climate action plans, and food security strategies to aid in our government vision of a stable macroeconomic growth and development that is resilient,” Gambia’s Minister for Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment, Hon. Baboucarr Ousmaila Joof, stated at the project launch event.
“Regenerative Hubs has enabled a scalable private-public partnership in the regenerative agriculture sector for the first time in West Africa and we will make sure that the local communities involved not only benefit economically but also help implement the key principles of regeneration that will protect their farmland and environment for generations to come,” concluded Henry Rowlands, Co-Founder of Regenerative Hubs Limited.
The Regenerative Hubs project will continue to scale over tens of thousands of hectares over the next 5 years and will enable the River Gambia to become a key hub for regenerative crops and products for Gambia and the wider region in West Africa.
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