The
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has restated its
commitment to support efforts aimed at strengthening Forest and Farm Producer
Organizations in The Gambia for improved livelihoods and sustainable national
resources management.
Dr. Perpetua Katepa-Kalala, FAO Country
Representative in The Gambia gave the reassurance following the signing of a
Letter of Agreement (LoA) by the National Farmers Platform of The Gambia (NFPG)
and FAO.
Under
the arrangement, FAO will provide financial support amounting to about GMD3.6m
(USD86, 820.00) through the Forest Farm Facility (FFF) initiative to enable the
NFPG implement its planned activities within twelve months.
The
intervention is designed to “Strengthen smallholder, women, communities and
producer organizations for business/livelihoods and policy engagement”.
The
support is expected to increase the capacities of Forest and Farm Producer
Organizations on Business development and market linkages, access to support
and services, including finance as well as Knowledge, Practices and Experiences
shared amongst Forest and Farm Producer Organizations for improved Forest and
Farm Management.
The
FAO assistance is also aimed at improving the capacities of Apex Forest and
Farm Producer Organizations including Community Forest Management Committees
(CFMCs) on project proposals writing and resources mobilization, thus enabling
them to respond to the “call for proposals” from diverse resource partners in
and outside the Gambia, amongst others also from FFF Small Grants facility on
tenure and National Resource Management, and on Group Internal Governance and
Equity.
The
intervention will also help to support the revitalization and strengthening of
Firewood Producers and Vendors Associations while addressing relevant policy
and marketing issues for improved access and affordability of fuelwood.
It
will also support governance, communication and coordination activities of the
National Farmers Platform using multi-facet approaches and methods for
efficiency and productivity.
The
FAO Country Representative expressed appreciation of the achievements
registered by the FFF initiative in The Gambia since its inception in 2013.
‘‘It
highlights successful collaboration between civil society and government to
address critical development goals. The results are there for all to see and we
at FAO are appreciative of the gains made. ‘We look forward to continue working
with NACO and the entire ANR platform in our collective drive to improve food
security and nutrition, making agriculture and forestry more productive and
sustainable while reducing rural poverty and increasing the resilience of
livelihoods to disasters,’’ said Dr. Katepa-Kalala.
For
his part, Mr. Alhagie Basse Mboge, President, NFPG thanked FAO, FFF partners,
The Gambian Government and Civil Society Organizations on behalf of FFPOs in
the country for the ‘‘remarkable assistance’’.
He
explained that the intervention will contribute significantly towards improving
the organizational capacities of FFPOs on group leadership, markets and
effective policy engagement.
Mboge
noted that experiences from the implementation of the first LoA have shown that
empowering key actors in communities is an effective tool for developing the
capacities of local communities to tackle issues within their own environment
for enhanced sustainable natural resources management, food security and
nutrition.
Source:
FAO
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