Publications

Agriculture is a major source of livelihood and income in The Gambia. Despite its socioeconomic importance, the sector faces many institutional, technological, and biophysical
challenges limiting its contribution to economic development. The situation is exacerbated
by adverse effects of climate change, which is undermining national efforts, making The
Gambia one of the most vulnerable to climate change. This report documents and
synthesizes available climate-smart agriculture (CSA) options that can inform adaptation
planning in The Gambian agriculture and food system. We analysed the relevance of the
documented options in sustainably increasing productivity and income while building
climate resilience and reducing GHGs emissions in food systems. Through a mixed approach
integrating multiple sources, a total of 28 technologies and practices has been identified as
relevant adaptation options for The Gambia agriculture and food system. These options are
grouped into nine adaptation categories including Crop diversity use and management, Soil
and nutrient management, Soil & Water Conservation and Irrigation, Agroforestry systems,
Livestock-based systems, agro-climatic information services, Social network and institutional
support, and Livelihood diversification. Except for post-failure coping strategies known to be
ineffective and unsustainable, all the identified options have some potentials to sustainably
increase agricultural productivity and income while adapting and building resilience to
climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This synthesis provides evidence of
potential climate-smartness of the selected adaptation options and could be important to
inform adaptation planning and prioritization.