ASSESSMENT OF FOOD PRODUCTION SYSTEM AND FOOD SECURITY IN THE GAMBIA

Lamin K M Fatty, Igbana Ajir and Benjamin Gowon Ahule

Department of Sociology

Centre for Food Technology and Research, Benue State University, Makurdi

Email:  lkmfattya@utg.edu.gm, igbanaajir@gmail.com, bahule@bsum.edu.ng

ABSTRACT

The study analysis is based on the assessment of production system employed by the farming community in reducing food insecurity in the Gambia. The strategy used the literatures that discussed various methods in providing policies and programmes to enhance agricultural production and productivity in the country such as concentration on rural smallholder farmers constituting the majority of the poor and strategies emphasis on: expanding irrigation and land development through appropriate land use and soil management and increasing commercialization through intensification and enhanced productivity and competitiveness of cereals – particularly rice among others. It was observed that Gambian primary sector has been characterized by subsistence production of food crops comprising cereals (early millet, late millet, maize, sorghum and rice); semi-intensive cash crop production (groundnuts, cotton, sesame and horticulture) and traditional livestock rising. Farmers generally practice mixed farming, although crops account for a greater portion of the production. On average, some 200,000 ha are annually cultivated of which less only 2% of them are irrigated. Among the crops, groundnuts are the most important occupying 40-50% of the cultivated area followed by early millet (25%), rice (8%), sorghum and maize (7% each) with the least of the area allocated to sesame and the root and tubers (cassava and sweet potatoes). The majority of farmers are smallholders (less than 3 ha per farm family) and are generally resource poor. There is heavy reliance on household labour and traditional farming techniques. Food security has been described using four key dimensions to the definition: availability, stability, safety and access. Although his view is based on urban context, the first dimension, food availability relates to the readily sufficient amounts of food. This is mainly a function of food production and supply. Food stability requires that food can be accessed at all times. Food safety is linked to the quality of food. It is not enough that sufficient amount of food are available, if it cannot be consumed without risking major health problems. It has been stated that access to food is associated with the resources that an individual or household possesses to obtain food required for a healthy diet. Also agriculture sector is confronted with constraints that result in low productivity, limited marketing and commercialization, and low net incomes, erratic and low rainfall patterns; a highly seasonal and mostly rain-fed subsistence-based production; unreliable access to inputs; insufficient supplies and use of improved seeds; limited landholdings under irrigation, diminishing access to good arable land due to population pressures among others Thus we recommended the following : need for increase productivity through the implementation of sustainable land and water management with emphasis on cereal crops, others crops in upland areas, horticulture and livestock production, production and resource management constraints; focus on vitalizing agricultural commodity value chains, and measures and programs to support competitiveness and higher investments in value chains; recognize high potential for positive impacts on women and youth employment; address capacity weaknesses of producer organizations, address forest and fisheries resources and parks and wildlife the problem of resource depletion, sustainable technologies and the need for strengthening and improving agency coordination and capacity to produce timely, accurate and relevant data and analysis concerning food and nutrition security.