Gambia continues to face food security challenges - official

The Gambia continues to face food security challenges due to several factors, including low agricultural productivity and high costs of production, and the lack of modern techniques and technology, the coordinator of FASDEP Technical Assistance (TA) Component under the FAO has said.

Alhagie Nyangado further said the Gambia government has, however, taken some steps to ameliorate the challenges by making food security one of its top development priorities.

He said the FAO has noted with pride “the firm commitment” of the government by giving matters regarding agricultural development and food security a priority.

Mr Nyangado delivered a speech on behalf of the FAO country representative, at the official launching of the TCP project entitled: “Assistance to enhance commercial poultry production for food security”, held at a hotel in Kololi on Thursday.

He said one of the key targets of the newly-launched Sustainable Development Goal (SDG2) is ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture.

Another target of SDG2, specifically, is to ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situation including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all-year-round by 2030.

In The Gambia, Mr Nyangado said, livestock contributes significantly to the national economy and livelihood of the population; it has a potential to make a significant contribution to improvement of food security, if not the myriad of challenges facing the sector.