Abstract

Agriculture contributes immensely to the socio-economic development of smallholder farmers as it provides food, nutritional and income for women and youths whose livelihood activities are centered on crops and livestock production and marketing. In the Gambia, agriculture is mainly rain-fed with fragmented land holdings in the rural communities. This research finding was conducted in two (2) vegetable schemes of Dampha Kunda and Darsilameh respectively. The objective of this study was to evaluate the yield capacity and income security of women vegetable producers in the Upper River Region of the Gambia. The sampling method was non-probability using the purposive sampling method based on field observation and experience. The result in Table 1, shows that a total yield of 5,914 kg was scored with a total income of 4,139,800 from onion production. In addition, the result in Table 4, indicates that the highest yield was 45,000 kg/ha while the least yield was 26,000 kg/ha with an average yield of 30.6kg/bed. In conclusion, the application of best agricultural practices, capacity building, and utilization of appropriate agricultural technologies enhances the yield and income of vegetable producers in rural communities. This would go a long way in improving the lives and livelihood of women producers, provided the women farmers continue to adapt and apply the best agricultural technologies.