FAO Representation
Gambia
FAO in Gambia
The FAO Representation was established in 1978 with a staff complement of three including the FAOR. Presently the Representation staff complement has grown to 8, including the FAOR and two Government seconded staff. The Representation is divided into two main Units, Programme and Finance/Administration.
The Gambia is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 160th out of 179 countries in the 2007/8 UNDP Human Development Report. With a population growth of over four percent per annum, The Gambia has one of the highest growth rates in Africa. The rate of population growth is one of the principal factors of concern in efforts to improve food security. The coastal country hugs the Gambia River and is surrounded on three sides by Senegal.
Agricultural production, the primary economic activity, has declined throughout the 1990s as a result of several factors, including environmental degradation, declining/poor distribution of rainfall, weak marketing infrastructure, lack of access to credit (especially for the youths and women) and a limited resource base. An additional factor is the rapid urbanization (40%).
The country is on the western edge of the arid Sahelian belt that stretches across Africa. FAO activities in the country focus on rural development and agricultural diversification, in accordance with the Government’s anti-poverty strategy.
The FAO leads International efforts to defeat hunger. It provides a forum to negotiate agreements and debate policy. It is also a source of knowledge and information.
FAO helps the Gambia to modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices and ensure good nutrition for all with special attention on rural areas, home to majority of the poor and hungry people.
Recently FAO in the Gambia begun to work more closely with other ministries like Health and Education.
- Regional Office for Africa
- Subregional Office for West Africa
