By Sering Mass Jallow
An 18-year-old resident of Ebo Town has transformed his family’s rooftop into a thriving vegetable garden, providing fresh produce for his household and reducing the family’s food expenses.
Muhammed Jallow converted what was once a leisure space into a productive garden after drawing inspiration from his father, Adama Jallow, a Gambian living in the Netherlands.
According to Muhammed, the idea emerged during a telephone conversation in which his father mentioned that he was watering vegetables grown on the rooftop of his home in the Netherlands.
Inspired by the concept, Muhammed asked his father to bring vegetable seedlings on his next visit to The Gambia so that he could establish a similar garden at home.
Using discarded plastic buckets and old cooking pots as planting containers, he created a rooftop garden where he now grows pepper, sweet pepper, okra, tomatoes and garden eggs.
Within a few weeks, the plants began flowering and later produced healthy vegetables, supplying the family’s daily cooking needs.
Speaking to The Voice, Muhammed said his motivation was to ease the financial burden on his mother, who previously had to visit the Serekunda market regularly to buy vegetables.
“Food prices are extremely high and continue to increase. I felt I could reduce my mother’s burden by growing our own vegetables,” he said.
He noted that the garden has helped the family cope with rising food prices while ensuring a steady supply of fresh produce.
Muhammed’s mother described the rooftop garden as a major source of financial relief for the household.
“Vegetables are very expensive at the market now,” she said. “I hardly go to the market anymore because we have almost everything we need here. The garden has been very helpful.”
She added that the vegetables are fresh, healthy and sufficient for the family’s daily meals.
Muhammed said he hopes his experience will inspire other young people and families to make productive use of small spaces around their homes.
He believes that even a small balcony or rooftop can be transformed into a productive garden capable of improving household food security and reducing the cost of living.
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