Gambia Agriculture Transformation Programme (2020-2030). Final Report.

The overall strategic objective of the Gambia’s Agricultural Transformation Programme (GATP) is to enhance economic growth through increased contribution of the agriculture sector to the national economy. Specific objectives of this Agricultural Transformation Programme include: defining a sector investment plan which supports agriculture production enhancement; achieving sustainable food security and reducing malnutrition; making the country self-sufficient in the key value chains; creating employment for youth and women in the agricultural sector; stimulating private sector investment and promoting value addition; strengthening wealth creation; making Gambia agriculture more climate-resilient. The Agricultural Transformation Programme is structured around four strategic components: 1) support on production and productivity; 2) promotion of value chains and market competitiveness; 3) employment of youth in agriculture; 4) coordination, management, monitoring and evaluation of the Programme. The Programme identifies critical commodities value chains and provides a detailed analysis for each of them: millet, maize, groundnut, vegetables, fruits, poultry, small ruminants. The Programme also focuses on: financial measures for development of agriculture value chain; public-private sector partnership, and role of private sector in agriculture; risk analysis and socio-economic characteristics of the farmers.
The Strategic Plan identifies and highlights five areas of the Programme: 1) upgrading strategies for crops improvement, through the following measures: production expansion and productivity enhancement; upgrading agricultural extension techniques; revitalisation of farmer cooperatives for improving market access; commercialisation of the seed industry and refurbishment of village seed stores; 2) strategies for poultry and livestock improvement, through the following actions: improvement of production and productivity of local breeds; strengthening poultry and small ruminant value chain; increasing public and private sector veterinary service delivery; 3) value chain financing, through the following actions: creating an operating environment for agriculture financing; promotion of all-inclusive agriculture financing system; creation of self-employment assistance programmes; 4) youth and gender engagement in agriculture, through the following measures: training of women on lowland cereals and vegetables growing; supporting youth empowerment; development of youth-specific financing mechanisms; 5) mechanisation and machinery, focusing on: land preparation, seeding and weeding techniques; mechanisation for harvesting and threshing; improvement and promotion of post-harvest technologies; expanding irrigation facilities and equipment; controlling soil degradation; strategies for land consolidation and for feed production.