In the river communities of Foni, oyster harvesting represents not only a means of livelihood but also a tradition and a pathway to economic independence for hundreds of women. However, for many years, this occupation involved significant risk: most oyster harvesters routinely worked in deep waters and mangrove channels without possessing swimming skills...

Kenya’s experience in tissue culture and rapid plant multiplication stands as a powerful example of how innovation, partnerships and sustained investment can transform agrifood systems. During a recent FAO-facilitated study tour, Gambian scientists witnessed first-hand how Kenya has scaled these technologies to support farmers, agribusinesses and national food security.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)  facilitated a regional technical study tour to Kenya and Cabo Verde aimed at accelerating agrifood systems transformation in The Gambia through the adoption of tissue culture, rapid multiplication technologies, and climate-resilient production systems...

Strengthening national capacity remains at the core of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ (FAO) support to The Gambia’s agrifood systems. A recent technical study tour to Kenya and Cabo Verde has reinforced this commitment by equipping Gambian scientists and technicians with practical skills and institutional knowledge in tissue culture, greenhouse management and rapid multiplication technologies...

Thursday, 18 December 2025 - For decades, women throughout The Gambia have significantly contributed to household sustenance through agricultural activities but have remained unrecognized in land ownership and decision-making processes....

The Gambia held its inaugural World Food Forum (WFF) Youth Chapter on 10 to 11 December 2025, gathering nearly 200 young agri-entrepreneurs at the Sir Dawda Jawara International Conference Centre. The event supported commitments from the 2025 World Food Forum in Rome, encouraging expansion of youth-led food security initiatives as part of FAO’s 80th Anniversary...

When Alieu Bah of Fonkoi Kunda in the Lower River Region walked us through his new garden, you could feel ease and gratitude in his voice before he even says a word. The former military officer always smiles deeply, anytime he talks about his four-hectare stretch now fenced with chain links....

Saturday, 25 October 2025 - The Gambia joined the world on to commemorate World Food Day 2025 under the theme “Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future,” a history made even more significant as it coincided with the 80th Anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The celebration echoed decades of global and national commitment to ending hunger, improving nutrition, and transforming lives.

Saturday, 25 October 2025 - The energy of World Food Day 2025 celebrations culminated with tributes to the backbone of The Gambia’s agriculture, its rural women under the theme “Rural Women Strengthening Nature for Our Collective Future: Building Climate Resilience, Conserving Biodiversity, and Caring for Land towards Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls.” In marking the International Day of Rural Women, World Food Day, and FAO’s 80th Anniversary, the spotlight turned to those whose daily labour sustains families, communities, and the nation’s food systems...

For years, Gambian communities along the country’s coastline and riverbanks have braved tides, trudged through mudflats, and battled climate change in their determined bid to revive dwindling mangrove forests. Now, thanks to a targeted intervention by the PROREFISH project, these communities are no longer fighting with bare hands...

In Sinchu Gundo and satellite communities, in the Central River Region South, a UN Peacebuilding Project has transformed lives by resolving long-standing tensions between farmers and herders through the construction of cattle tracks and drinking points...

Bintang, Foni, Life in this community moves with the river. This small riverside community sits where a winding tributary from the River Gambia flows past thick mangroves, connecting to Sibanor South, Bwiam, and Kiang. Bintang is a community were fishing a source of survival for the inhabitants...

There was a time, not too long ago, when the name Jareng in the Central River South meant a lot for The Gambian economy, due to the tons of rice it used to produce. The rice paddies in this community were among The Gambia’s pride fields, so fertile that people from across the country came to sow, harvest, and sustain families. The soil was rich, the harvests abundant. Young men and women stayed for months to cultivate and harvest rice, generating incomes that sustained entire communities.

When the FAO-Thiaroye Fish Processing Technique (FTT) ovens were first installed in Tanji, Brufut, Gunjur, and Kartong, they promised to change the way fish was smoked in The Gambia. The ovens were built to protect women from hazardous smoke and produce cleaner, safer fish. These facilities were supposed to open doors to better markets, healthier working conditions, improved livelihoods, and produce better-quality fish that could meet both domestic food safety standards and regional export requirements...

Government officials, UN representatives, civil society actors, and farmers gathered this week at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center to address what many say is one of the country’s most urgent yet overlooked human rights concerns- the right to food...

For years, communities in Kombo South have relied on their forests for biodiversity, tourism, and cultural heritage. But in recent years, residents have grown increasingly concerned about the degradation of the ecosystem...

Fifteen young women and men from different parts of The Gambia recently completed a one-week training on vegetable processing and packaging in Jenoi, Lower River Region. The training was part of a project supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and funded by the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Fund. The IBSA support will assist  rural youth and women to reduce post-harvest losses and start small agribusinesses...

Walking into the Pitch Room at the Holistic Agribusiness Centre in Ballingho, North Bank Region, managed by the Rural Development Organization (RDO) you could feel the tension in the air. Heartbeats raced, hands were jittery, and half-smiles appeared on some faces. For many of these ten young people, it was their first time standing before judges to present their agribusiness ideas for investment...

Banjul, The Gambia – 16 July 2025 – One year and a half into the implementation of the Country Programming Framework (CPF, 2024–2028), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) convened a review and training session with government, civil society partners, and development agencies to reflect on progress, results and strengthen collective delivery...

Beneficiaries celebrate improved livelihoods and reduced land conflicts thanks to FAO’s climate-smart garden project funded by the UN Peacebuilding Fund.