Gambian researchers visit SC State to see climate-smart agricultural innovations firsthand

Video courtesy of SC State Public Service & Agriculture. A photo gallery follows the text.

The weeklong visit was part of SC State’s ongoing relationship with the West African nation for exchange regarding sustainable agriculture.

ORANGEBURG, S.C. – Learning about agricultural research and innovative technology was step one. Seeing the resulting practices in action was step two. Implementing them an ocean away will be step three. 

South Carolina State University’s reciprocal relationship with The Gambia advanced to the next level in November via a visit from a three-member delegation of researchers from the developing West African nation’s National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI).

During the weeklong visit, SC State’s Public Service and Agriculture Division(PSA) showed the NARI officials several of its climate-smart agricultural research, farming techniques, crop development and technological innovations.

The stops included a visit to the SC State Research and Demonstration Farm in Olar, South Carolina, where the Gambians saw examples of PSA’s work with artificial intelligence, drones, sensors and robotics. They also saw the farm’s cover crops, which SC State grows in the off-season to demonstrate their value to local farmers. 

“I am here to take whatever I can take from here,” said Dr. Demba B. Jallow, NARI’s director general. “I am going to try to replicate these systems in our country. I think we are hungry for solutions, especially in the face of climate change.

“Like where we are standing right now -- I am seeing very smart ideas here that are compatible with our efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change in the Gambia,” Jallow said during his visit to the farm.

At the farm, the Gambians were treated to presentations from Dr. Joe Maja, senior scientist and director of SC State’s Center for Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Agriculture, and Dr. Fetien Abera, senior scientist and director of SC State’s Center for Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomes.

A grant-funded global exchange of ideas

The delegation’s tour followed SC State’s excursion to The Gambia in August when SC State PSA officially handed over a solar-powered water pumping system at a farmers' cooperative garden in the North Bank village of Illiassa to the 400 women who farm at the garden in conjunction with NARI and the Ministry of Agriculture.

SC State President Alexander Conyers also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the University of the Gambia in Banjul. The agreement will allow for student and faculty exchange between the two universities.

SC State PSA’s work with The Gambia is powered by a grant funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture via the 1890 Universities Foundation Center of Excellence for Global Food Security and Defense (CEGFSD) housed at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. 

The grant’s principal investigator, Dr. Lamin Drammeh, associate vice president for SC State PSA, said the NARI delegation’s visit marked a rare and unprecedented opportunity for collaboration between a national institution from the Global South and a U.S. university.

“This weeklong engagement underscores a shared vision and mutual commitment to advancing agricultural development in The Gambia, particularly through strategic partnerships and capacity-building efforts,” Drammeh said. “This visit highlights a new paradigm of cooperation between the Global South and North, fostering knowledge exchange and showcasing best practices.”

Delivering sustainable ideas to The Gambia's farmers

Jallow looked forward to introducing many of those best practices to farmers in The Gambia.

“It is fulfilling when you are able to respond to the problems of farmers and give them solutions,” Jallow said. “Because remember, they are the custodians of our food system. Without them, we are not going to be around.

“There is a whole ecosystem that also needs help -- that needs support from you, the farmer,” he said, referring to the need for farmers to implement climate-smart practices. 

According to Dr. Lamin Dibba, NARI’s director of research, disseminating the information to farmers also will require adopting some of SC State’s extension practices.

“We have been doing research our own way for several years,” Dibba said. “So when we travel to the U.S., there are so many things that we’ve seen, things that you are doing differently, some of which are very, very amazing. Having extension and research under the same umbrella is something to us that is very impressive.

“Back at home, the system we have there is you have research doing its own thing and then you have extension doing their own thing,” he said. “Even if we don’t have extension with us, we are going to create our own extension unit. We have to make sure whatever technology is generated it is used by the grassroots people, which are the farmers.”

Dibba said a key to that process will be demonstrating the value of climate-smart practices, such as the market value of cover crops.

“What am I going to put in my pocket if I should adopt this particular practice?” he said.

NARI officials anticipated working with SC State to find funding sources for implementing the technology the university demonstrated at the farm.

“It can go a long way in terms us doing meaningful research in the area of climate change,” said Dr. Ismaila Mbenga, senior research officer. “We will come up with project proposals in which we can partner with South Carolina State University so we can include some of these devices or any equipment we need to help us collect data from our research activities in the Gambia.”

An SC State student’s perspective 

Along with the scientific presentations, the Gambians heard from the Research and Demonstration Farm’s operators -- Zachary Jordan, farm manager, and Avery Franklin, an SC State junior agribusiness major who works as a farm assistant three days per week.

Like the Gambians, Franklin plans to take what he learns at the farm home to Laurens, South Carolina.

“I’ve been interested in agriculture since I was a little kid,” Franklin said. “Growing up on a farm, it’s been every day for me. Some people like playing inside on the videogames, but I’ve always found fun being outside, being in nature hunting and fishing and doing those types of things. 

“This is all a learning experience -- being able to come out here and learn new things and then take them back home. The research they’re doing – being able to apply all this new information we’re getting, seeing new perspectives and networking,” he said. “Technology is a big thing. It’s something that’s advancing agriculture that we have to adapt to. You can’t stay behind and stuck in old ways.”

In addition to the farm visit, the NARI delegation:

• Toured the SC State 1890 Coastal Research & Education Center in Charleston, South Carolina.
• Met with senior university leaders, PSA program leaders and regional extension directors.
• Learned about research and project developments in such areas as climate-smart commodities, controlled environment agriculture and urban forestry. 

Among SC State’s next steps in the relationship with The Gambia will be a small ruminant project intended to improve nutrition. Ruminants are cattle, sheep, goats and other mammals that chew regurgitated cuds. The project will introduce a new breed of goat in hopes of mitigating stunting in the country’s children. 

“By engaging with state agencies and SC State’s partners, the delegation explored ways to enhance agricultural research and development, particularly for smallholder farmers, including women,” Drammeh said. “This collaboration is set to pave the way for future initiatives, such as the small ruminants project, that promise lasting benefits for the Gambian people."