Gambia - Fase 2
Main findings
1) Increase access to land, financing and other productive resources that specifically target women and youth. The women form more than 50% of the farming population and in some regions, they are the major producers of vegetables, rice and groundnuts. Despite their numbers and their key contribution to agricultural production they are seriously disadvantaged in that they lack access to key production factors and inputs, particular land, finance and technical know-how. Women in the Gambia, for social, religious and cultural reasons, do not own land and can only inherit land from their mothers.
... Leer másConsequently, women in the Gambia, lack the opportunity to have land which they can present to the bank as a co-lateral to obtain bank loans. It is therefore imperative to increase their access to land and finance if their production is to increase. 2) Increase in the efficiency and effectiveness of the health delivery system There is a conspicuous inadequate access to quality health services especially in rural Gambia. This has led to high under 5, infant and neo-natal mortalities. This has led to serious ramifications on production and productivity of the nation’s food systems. In 2018, it was estimated that the country lost an equivalent of about GMD3.956 billion due to child undernutrition, which represented 5.1 percent of the GDP (COHA Report, 2020). 3) Sustainable exploitation of the country’s natural resource base. There has been remarkable degradation of the country’s resource base over the years. Deforestation, overfishing in our waters and inappropriate fishing nets, the poisoning of marine life, land degradation, frequent bush fires are some classical examples. Some of the adaptive measures undertaken to mitigate the degradation on the country’s resource base include sensitization on bush fire control measures, encourage agroforestry, regulating fishing and fishing nets, creation of appropriate policies. There is an alarming rate of wanton felling of indigenous and protected tree species. Bad agricultural practices on slopes have seriously aggravated soil and water erosion resulting in loss of topsoil and decline in soil fertility. 4) Increase food production by 100% According to the national statistics the country produces about half of the national annual food needs. There is urgent need to gradually increase food production over the next ten years leading to national food and nutrition self- sufficiency which is in-line with the attainment of SDG 2 target 3. Agricultural production can also be boosted if Gambians consume locally produced, safe and quality foods. Increase in production can also happen if the school feeding program, hospitals and the security services source their food needs from the local farming community. Production can further be increased by reducing vulnerabilities of the livelihoods of the population through building resilience of food systems through climate-resilient agricultural practices and social protection interventions. 5) A harmonized and better coordinated policy environment that directedly or indirectly affect food systems The effective coordination of relevant policies on food systems remains the major issue in the attainment of the SDGs by 2030 in relation to the National Food Systems. Existing policies should be reviewed and dovetailed to ensure and cater for equity, justice, empowerment and sustainability for all. 6) More privates sector involvement in the food systems. The private sector is a key player in ensuring food safety as it underlies the entire food system. The majority of foods are produced, handled, processed, distributed, and sold by the private sector, and thus, their responsibility to ensure that products are nutritious and safe for consumption. In view of the above, increased private sector support and involvement is integral in achieving the set goals in the SDGs in relation to food systems. 7) Government to fulfil its international fiscal obligations. In line with the call for globalization of resources for the enhance of National Food Systems, it is important for The Government to honor its commitments to national and international agreements/treaties such as the Malabo Declaration in committing 10% of public expenditure to agriculture. The Right to Food is a long-standing international human right to which many countries are committed according to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, CESCR, 1999. It is the right to feed oneself in dignity and the right to adequate food. National and Regional Food Reserves is part of building resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stresses which may be caused by natural or manmade disasters. The Economic Community of West African States has adopted a policy requiring regional reserves by ECOWAS and national food reserves by the Member States. Leer menos
Línea(s) de Acción: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Palabras clave: Environment and Climate, Finance, Governance, Innovation, Policy, Women & Youth Empowerment