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The Gambia and FAO
Partnering to achieve food security and nutrition
Since the establishment of FAO Representation in the Islamic Republic of the Gambia in 1979, Organizational work has given vital
support for the development of agriculture and natural resource sectors - primarily through the Technical Cooperation Programme,
Telefood, Trust Fund, Emergency and various regional programmes. FAO has implemented more than 120 projects supporting
agriculture and natural resource development, as well as facilitating the creation of policies, programs and projects that contribute
to improved production, productivity, food quality and national technical and institutional capacities. In 2014, Gambia achieved
the Millennium Development Goal 1 hunger target of halving the proportion of hungry people in the country by 2015.
The Forest Farm Facility was launched in 2013 with
specific objectives to increase social awareness of the
economic potentials of forestry and to integrate forestry
into other economic sectors. The Forest and Farm Facility
(FFF) is a multi-donor programme supported primarily
through a multi-donor trust fund.
The Forest Farm Facility initiative promotes the Gambia
Government’s cross-sectoral coordination mechanisms
through capacity enhancement of Agriculture and
Natural Resources Working Groups and Platforms, Forest
and Farm Producer Organizations (FFPOs).
It has catalysed the involvement of FFPO in multisectoral stakeholder policy dialogues at local and
national levels. It is linking local voices and promoting
genuine participatory processes and information sharing.
Implementation of the FFF initiative has strengthened
capacity of smallholder producer organizations
including that of women producers in forestry based
business and policy engagement. The capacity of
beneficiaries building in policy decision is supported
and beneficiaries are equipped with better skills and
opportunities to access investments for sustainable
forest and farm management.
CONTACT
Perpetua Katepa-Kalala
FAO Representative in Gambia
FAO Representation
FAO Building, East Street, 10 ‘M’ Section
Banjul, Gambia
Tel.: +220-4498034
E-mail: [email protected]
Matching FAO’s expertise to the Gambia’s
development priorities
FAO assistance in the Gambia is shaped by the Country
Programming Framework (CPF) 2013-2016, which is
being jointly developed with multiple Government agencies
and non‑governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society
organizations (CSOs) and development partners. The Framework
provides for four medium-term priority areas:
■■Agricultural productivity and commercialization:
improving productivity, production and capacity; emphasizing
evidence-based planning, and training, formulation and
monitoring to engender development of appropriate inclusive
and equitable policies
■■Sustainable natural resources and development,
training to support responsible fishing practices; adopt control,
monitoring and surveillance systems to safeguard resources,
and improve smallholder adaptation to climate change
■■Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change
Adaptation: This priority will build on the institutional
and technical capacities of government and communities in
disaster risk reduction. It also aims at improving smallholder
adaptation to climate change; promote adoption of
appropriate measures to mitigate the negative aspects of
climate; and make training available at all appropriate levels
on improved climate-proof irrigation infrastructure and
sustained crop production
■■Improved food and nutrition security: at a household
level; augmenting early warning preparedness and disaster
mitigation, enhancing school and community education, and
strengthening food security monitoring and early warning
and information systems
The CPF has been implemented in partnerships with stakeholders,
in alignment with the joint efforts of the Government of Gambia
and other development partners for enhanced coordination and
aid effectiveness. The Government of Gambia and FAO have also
sought effective collaboration and support from stakeholders to
ensure successful implementation.
3/2015/2
Forest Farm Facility – enhancing
sustainable forest and farm management
Emergency rehabilitation following 2012
severe weather conditions
Emergency assistance to control Contagious
Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) outbreak
Vulnerable populations in the Gambia were severely
affected by a combination of long dry spells, a late start to
the rainy season, early cessation of the 2011/12 cropping
season and soaring food prices. To restore livelihoods and
increase the resilience of those affected, FAO partnered
with the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Disaster
Management Agency. The emergency programme included
performing germination tests on seeds delivered by
implementing partners to ensure quality; and distributing a
total of 305 tonnes of quality seeds to beneficiaries in the
19 most affected districts, including: 50 tonnes of cowpeas,
45 tonnes of groundnuts, 60
tonnes of maize and 150 tonnes
“Agriculture must
of rice.
FAO provided support to the Department of Livestock
Services to complete 3 nationwide vaccination campaigns to
curb the CBPP outbreak and prevent further spread of the
disease. The livelihood of the most vulnerable households
was protected in the process.
A medium-to-long-term national strategy was also
developed, to sustainably control and eradicate CBPP in
Gambia, including short-term interventions to contain the
CBPP outbreak and prevent its spread, and a long-term
strategy focusing on the provision of capacity building for
the Department of Livestock Services.
The project was funded through FAO Technical Cooperation
Programme and the Government of Japan.
support and protect
natural resources to
achieve sustainable
food security.”
Strengthening food safety capacities
The project was implemented by the Department of Agriculture
with FAO with funding from AfDB and the Government of the
United States of America.
In collaborating with FSQA, the project has sought to
implement a tool for evaluating national food control
systems and serve in the future as authoritative and
practical guidance for strengthening national and regional
food safety control programmes. Furthermore, the proposal
for strengthening the Scientific Affairs and Food Control
Directorates of the newly established FSQA will allow
Gambia to request funding to build sustainable technical
capacities of these two directorates.
A total of 33 865 farmers
benefited from the seed
distribution, representing a
José Graziano da Silva,
higher number of beneficiaries
FAO Director-General
reached than initially planned.
In addition, efforts contributed
to improved crop production
with an estimated total production of 6 613 885. Farmers
were able to enhance their productive capacity and gain
easy access to high quality and improved seeds, while
households were better able to sell their products, obtaining
an estimated market value of US$5 693 998. Food access,
individual food intake and the overall food security situation
in identified areas were also significantly improved.
A more recent project has aimed to assist and strengthen
the Gambia’s newly established Food Safety and Quality
Authority (FSQA) which began operations in 2013. The
purpose of this project was 1) to evaluate the food system
of Gambia using a new FAO tool and identify the strengths,
gaps and needs; 2) to deliver introductory training in
evidence-based food safety decision making; and 3) to
develop a proposal to strengthen the technical capacities of
the two Directorates.
©FAO/Seyllou Diallo
©FAO/Seyllou Diallo
The project was funded multi-trust fund and implemented by
FSQA and FAO.