At a time when agricultural productivity in the Gambia is struggling with the vagaries of the climate, the African Development Bank (AfDB) is releasing $16.08 million to implement a project focusing on food security in this West African country.
The Agriculture and Food Security Project has been running in The Gambia since 2021. With technical support from the World Food Programme (WFP), it aims specifically to strengthen food systems by improving agricultural productivity and boosting the incomes of small-scale farmers coping with the effects of climate change.
A few days ago, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the main funder through its GASFP programme focused on sustainable agriculture, released 16.08 million dollars to accelerate the implementation of the Gambian government’s initiative. It targets the Central River, Upper River, Lower River, West Coast and North Bank regions.
The North Bank is likely to be one of the priority regions, given the droughts that have been occurring there for the past two decades. The North Bank has low rainfall and poor vegetation, making it “highly susceptible to soil erosion during periods of heavy rain and dry season windstorms”, according to a study by Sidat Yaffa. The consequences include reduced harvests and higher food prices “which in turn affect food availability and the quantities consumed by households”, explains the agricultural engineer.
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The AfDB’s €16 million will therefore help to turn the situation around by financing the extension of crop-growing areas (groundnuts, maize, millet) from 100 to 150 hectares and upland crops (rice) from 3,000 to 4,500 hectares. At least 18,000 Gambians, particularly young people and women, will be direct beneficiaries by 2028, according to the pan-African institution, which is committed to achieving the second Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), focusing on food security.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi
