Nelson Manneh

Story: Artificial oyster production is a "game-changer" in The Gambia by shifting from destructive manual harvesting to sustainable aquaculture method like rack culture and spat collectors for larger, faster-growing oysters, while protecting vital mangrove ecosystems. This innovation empowers women oyster farmers, improves livelihoods, enhances food security, and creates a more robust and environmentally sustainable oyster industry for The Gambia. Artificial oyster production, or propagation, is transforming Gambia's traditional oyster harvesting into a more sustainable, profitable, and environmentally friendly industry. The method helps address challenges like dwindling wild stocks and potential damage to the vital mangrove ecosystem. Through simple but effective techniques using local materials, women oyster farmers are experiencing significant economic empowerment. The traditional method of harvesting oysters from mangrove roots during low tide is damaging the fragile mangrove ecosystem, which serves as critical coastal defense and carbon sequestration. Over-harvesting has led to declining oyster stocks, threatening the food security and livelihoods of women who traditionally depend on this resource. Women in villages like Bullock have adopted an innovative method using locally sourced materials such as sticks and ropes to create river farms. Decades of harvesting and environmental changes have led to dwindling wild oyster populations. Harvesting from mangrove roots can harm the root systems and contribute to the erosion of these critical coastal habitats. Farmers must travel farther and into deeper water to find oysters, increasing the physical risk of harvesting. Rising sea levels and extreme weather events, such as storms and flooding, threaten the mangrove habitats where oysters thrive.

Published in: October 13, 2025