Water Supply for Farms and Agriculture in The Gambia
For most Gambian growers the constraint is not land or labour — it is water between November and June. A borehole with the right pump and storage turns one rain-fed season into year-round production.
How does a borehole change what a farm can grow?
Rain-fed farming in The Gambia is limited to roughly June through October. A borehole with adequate yield and storage lets a grower plant through the dry season, when local produce is scarcest and prices are highest. In practice that turns a single annual crop into two or three, which is what changes the economics rather than any increase in yield per hectare.
The constraints that shape these builds
- Production stopping for seven or eight months a year.
- A borehole drilled to a dependable aquifer, with storage sized to the irrigated area, supports dry-season cropping when produce prices are at their highest.
- Shallow wells failing at the worst point in the dry season.
- Hand-dug wells follow the falling water table. A deeper drilled borehole into a confined aquifer holds up far better through February to June.
- Fuel costs eating the margin on irrigated crops.
- Solar pumping can reduce dependence on fuel or grid electricity after installation. Output follows the sun, so storage and pump sizing must reflect evening and cloudy-day demand.
- Water too saline for the crop.
- Salinity is a genuine constraint in parts of the country and it is invisible. We test before you commit to a pump and a planting plan.
- Watering by hand limiting the area under production.
- A tank at height plus a distribution network lets one person irrigate a far larger area than bucket or hose watering allows.
What we build in this sector
- Boreholes for irrigation and livestock water
- Solar-powered pumping systems
- Elevated tanks, tank stands and ground storage
- Distribution pipework to plots and beds
- Water points for livestock and poultry
- Farm access roads and hardstanding
- Stores, sheds and farm buildings
- Boundary walling and fencing
What to decide before you build
These are the decisions that are cheap now and expensive or impossible later.
- Size from the crop, not from the pump catalogue
- Daily water demand comes from the area under irrigation, the crop and the season. The pump and tank follow from that figure — doing it the other way round is how farms end up with a system that cannot keep up in March.
- Test the water before you plant
- Salinity and iron both affect what will grow and both are invisible. Testing before committing a season is cheap insurance.
- Storage is what makes solar work
- A solar pump fills a tank during the day; the tank irrigates when you need it. Under-sized storage is the usual reason a solar system disappoints.
- Keep the wellhead protected
- A sealed wellhead, drainage away from the casing and separation from animal pens and latrines are what keep the water usable over time.
- Position the tank for gravity
- Height at the tank is free pressure at the plot. Getting the position and elevation right removes the need for a second pump.
Agriculture: common questions
Can a solar pump irrigate a market garden?
It can be a practical choice where the pump, array and storage are sized to the farm’s actual water demand. An elevated tank helps decouple irrigation times from the strongest hours of sunlight.
How much water does an irrigated plot need?
It depends on the crop, the area, the soil and the time of year, and dry-season demand is much higher than during the rains. Tell us the area you intend to irrigate and what you plan to grow, and we will size the borehole, pump and storage against that rather than a generic figure.
Is borehole water suitable for irrigation everywhere in The Gambia?
Not everywhere. Salinity is a real constraint in some areas, particularly closer to the coast and along parts of the river, and salt-sensitive crops will show it before you do. Testing the water first tells you what you can plant.
Do you install water points for livestock?
Yes — troughs, water points and distribution to pens and paddocks, sized to herd or flock demand and positioned so the wellhead itself stays protected from animals.
Planning a agriculture project?
Send us the location and what you have in mind. For construction we visit the site before quoting, because that is the only way to give you a price that holds.
Monday to Saturday, 8:00 – 18:00. We use your details only to answer your enquiry.