The CPF results are guided by FAO’s Strategic Framework (2022-2031) that places the 2030 Agenda at its centre by using SDGs and their indicators to promote focus and track progress. Guided by the lens of SDG 1 (No poverty), SDG 2 (No hunger), and SDG 10 (Reduced inequalities). FAO’s contributions to agrifood systems transformation span across all SDGs organized along the Four Betters (aspirations): better production, better nutrition, better environment and a better life. FAO’s country programmes draw upon the Programme Priority Areas under the four betters, to leverage needed technical expertise in the context of Regional Priorities defined by the Regional Conferences. It is a convergence of FAO’s Strategic Framework, the UNSDCF and the Government of The Gambia’s National Development Plan. Guided by the priorities set by the UNSDCF, the CPF will promote the principles of green economic recovery, human capital development, gender equality, women and youth empowerment, resilience building and accountability, and leaving no one behind.
The Country Programming Framework (CPF) for The Gambia is guided by FAO’s Strategic Framework and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, aiming to address key challenges such as poverty, hunger, and inequality. Through initiatives like the UNSDCF Outcome 1.1, efforts are made to enhance access to essential services and promote resilience among marginalized communities, aligning with climate-responsive strategies and fostering partnerships for sustainable development. CPF Priority 1 focuses on strengthening institutional and producer capacities, including policy development and enhancing service delivery to modernize agrifood systems.
CPF Priority 1: emphasizes resilience and disaster risk reduction, with Output 3 aiming to enhance climate-smart productive capacities among farmers and fisher folks. This includes initiatives to promote best practices, technology adoption, and investment in key value chains, while also addressing gender dimensions in disaster risk reduction.
CPF Priority 2: highlights economic empowerment, particularly for women and youths in agrifood value chains, with Output 5 aiming to strengthen these chains for increased income generation and job creation.
To ensure effective implementation, monitoring, and reporting, governance structures like the Programme Coordination Committee will oversee progress and ensure alignment with UN and government priorities. Partnerships will be crucial for the CPF's success, with collaboration sought from various stakeholders to maximize impact. However, funding remains a challenge, with a significant deficit projected, requiring mobilization from both internal and external sources to achieve the CPF's goals.
Priority Area 3: Economic Empowerment of ANR Value Chains Actors Particularly for Women and Youths. Agriculture significantly drives The Gambia's economy, employing over 70% of the workforce. The government aims to modernize agrifood systems, enhancing production, value chains, and access to credit. FAO focuses on strengthening these systems, particularly for women and youth, through initiatives like the Hand-in-Hand Initiative (HiHI) and promoting investment opportunities.
Priority Area 4: Implementation, Monitoring, and Reporting Arrangements the CPF's implementation will support UNSDCF and FAO Strategic Framework goals through governance support, policy advice, and infrastructure investment. A Programme Coordination Committee will monitor progress, and annual sessions will review achievements. FAO will collaborate closely with government institutions, development partners, and the UN Country Team.
Partnership and Financing Outlook
Partnerships are crucial for CPF success, aligning with the joint efforts of the Gambian government and development partners. Funding needs amount to USD 44,690,000, with USD 20,790,000 currently available. FAO plans to mobilize additional funds from its internal resources and external sources like South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC).
Monitoring, Reporting, and Evaluation
FAO will actively participate in Results Groups and Monitoring and Evaluation Groups, using platforms like UN INFO for reporting. Monitoring and evaluation will follow a results matrix and plan agreed upon by FAO and the government, with annual CPF reporting to track progress and achievements.
CPF Output 1: Sectoral Policies and strategies developed for sustainable transformative and sustainable food systems
The roles played by various institutions in the agrifood systems of The Gambia are often limited by the absence of guiding policy documents and strategic frameworks. The Government recognizes the need to strengthen policies, strategies, data, and information services as well as human resource capacities to address the many development gaps that exist in The Gambia’s agrifood systems. Government strategies are aimed at modernizing the agrifood systems by promoting and strengthening the policy environment, investing in human capital development, empowering youths and women, and creating meaningful employment opportunities for them. In addressing the Government’s priorities, the CPF will enhance sustainable development of a transformative agrifood systems.
CPF Output 2: Capacities of Institutions Strengthened for Enhanced Service Delivery
Institutional capacity building is critical, for effective and efficient service delivery. This will enhance the capacities to promote and implement climate- smart practices and technologies towards achieving a sustainable and resilient food systems.
CPF Output 3: Enhance climate-smart productive capacities of farmers, fisher folks and forest producers for transformative and sustainable food systems
Capacity building of small-holder fisher-folks, forest and farm producers is a crucial factor for sustainable productive growth. It can help to increase the capabilities of communities and community members to be resilient to climate vagaries, adopt best practices in production and natural resources management and restoration. Capacity building interventions will ensure the establishment or strengthening of formal and informal institutions that are relevant for climate
smart agriculture value chain functioning, training on best practices, introduction to improved technology and provision of logistic support for better function to food systems value chains.
Through the One Country One Product (OCOP) approach, FAO will support the Government to promote investment in the groundnut value chain. Interventions will also focus on building synergy and promoting complementarity through the mainstreaming of One Health approaches. The overall aim is to enable food systems and natural resources actors better participate in policy and decision-making and in implementing food systems development programmes more efficiently.
In addition, FAO will work with diverse government institutions and implementing partners to leverage investments in nutrition security, food safety and quality, dietary guidelines, and food standards. Capacities of communities will be strengthened to diversify food production, adopt nutrition sensitive agriculture, and improve community food and nutrition security.
CPF Output 4: Disaster Risk Reduction/Management service provision strengthened for climate change adaptation and mitigation
Climate change threatens The Gambia’s capability to ensure national food security, mitigate poverty and achieve the sustainable management of natural resources. Climate change has both direct and indirect impacts on agrifood systems due to shifting and unpredictable rainfall patterns, higher incidence of extreme weather events and disasters such as drought, floods, outbreaks of pests and disease and ocean particularly nearshore waters and coastal resources.
Deforestation and agrifood systems value chains are major contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions. The Green Recovery Focused National Development Plan of The Gambia (RF NDP 2023 – 2027) identifies the impacts of environmental degradation and climate change as
major deterrents to resilience and national development. Increased frequency and intensity of weather and climate shocks is reducing the productive capacity of communities and food systems value chain actors. In recent years, national efforts have been on improving Early Warning Data Collection and Early Warning Information Dissemination Systems. The Government priority is to reduce disaster risk, improve contingency planning and strengthen national capacity to rapidly mobilize resources during emergencies. The CPF will invest in resilience building and disaster risk reduction/management and climate change adaptation to safeguard against disaster risks and hazards. FAO technical assistance will focus specifically on the following:
1. Strengthening institutional and community emergency response capacities to climate change induced shocks and disaster as well as pest and disease outbreaks.
2. Improving Early Warning Systems, information gathering and dissemination channels for timely decision making.
3. Improving resilience of households through adaptation measures and social safety nets.
The actions will be implemented taking into consideration the gender dimensions of the disaster risk reduction and management. The role of women in contingency planning and decision-making will be mainstreamed.
CPF Output 5: Strengthen ANR value chains for economic empowerment particularly for women and youths
Agriculture is a major contributor to The Gambia’s economy. It employs more than 70% of the active workforce. The system is predominantly rain-fed subsistence farming. Agrifood systems contribute significantly to national economic growth; a staggering 22.4% of GDP in 2021 (WB, 2023).
The Fishing Sector is estimated to contribute 12% to national GDP in 2022 and employs about 300,000 people. It is imperative that growth in the agrifood systems is synonymous with increased national income and reduced vulnerability among rural households.
The priority of the Government of The Gambia government is to modernize the agrifood systems through increased production; improved access to production inputs; strengthening of value chains for increased value-addition, food safety and quality assurance, commercialization, access markets and increased agrifood systems contribution to foreign exchange earnings; improved access to credit and financing; and private sector participation. It is also a government priority to create employment in agrifood systems, especially for women and youth.
To contribute towards the priorities of the Government, FAO will focus on the strengthening agrifood systems and ANR Value Chains for employment creation and income generation. Through Hand-in Hand Initiative (HiHI), women and youth participation in agrifood systems production and marketing will be enhanced. Investment opportunities in the agrifood systems will also be promoted.