Enhancing local development towards poverty reduction in The Gambia

At the heart of every human experience is the desire to survive and prosper. To live without fear, hunger or suffering, to imagine how your life could be better and then have the means yourself to change it. Yet everyday, 1.2 billion people - one fifth of the world's inhabitants cannot fulfil their most basic needs, let alone attain their dreams or desires (IFAD).

With one of  the smallest population in mainland Africa, The Gambia has sparse natural resource deposits and a limited agricultural base, and relies in part on remittances from workers overseas and tourist receipts. According to the information site theodora, about three-quarters of the country's population depends on the agricultural sector for its livelihood with the sector providing for about one-fifth of GDP. 

The agricultural sector in the Gambia has a lot of untapped potential. Less than half of arable land is cultivated with farmers relying mostly on rain-fed agricultural activities. Investment in the sector is therefore a necessity as it has great potential to reduce poverty, generate investment and improve food security.

Banjul Shores, Photo Credit: gambiamonitor

A UNDP report argued that, economic growth will not reduce poverty, improve equality and produce jobs unless it is inclusive. However, the report also stressed that, globally, the number of extreme poor has dropped by 650 million in the last three decades, a level of progress humankind had never seen. But still there are more than a billion people living in extreme poverty.

The rural poverty portal of IFAD records that over 60 per cent of all Gambians are classified as poor depending on agriculture for their livelihood. At least half of the country's poor population is composed of farmers and agricultural workers. Groundnut farmers in upland areas are among the poorest. In the North Bank, Upper River and Lower River regions, about two thirds of the population is poor though pockets of poverty can be found throughout the country.

Women Fetching Water for crops irrigation. Photo Source: The Guardian

Understandably, the agricultural sector, if managed properly could significantly reduced poverty in The Gambia. But as already mentioned, no economic sector can register significant progress without the all-inclusiveness of parties concerned. The reality according to IFAD is that, many poor rural households do not generate sufficient income from their farming activities to feed themselves, maintain a decent standard of living and progress from subsistence to more productive and sustainable farming systems.

The following world bank all-inclusiveness guidelines could help booster efforts towards poverty reduction in The Gambia:

• Assessing the current status of participation, including the representativeness and accountability of governance structures. 
• Disseminating information on poverty diagnostics, policy options, and goals to facilitate participation. 
• Seeking involvement in strategy design at the national and local levels and consulting civil society and the private sector. 
• Analyzing feedback on program implementation and budget execution.

Moreover, there should be even distribution of assets and access to credit facilities to farmers to diversify farming activities. The availability of productive assets (land, machinery etc), quality and affordable seeds, and the support to market farm produce at a reasonable price could tempt more people into taking up farming and potentially reduce poverty.