By Sainabou Sambou
The Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources, Rohey John Manjang said that The Gambia like many other Sahelian countries in the sub-region is confronted with the familiar set of problems associated with agriculture, biodiversity loss, land degradation and out-ward youth migration, while emphasising that deforestation and land degradation are major environmental problems that threaten agricultural productivity thus directly affecting the livelihoods of thousands of rural populations particularly in the lower part of the country.
She was speaking in a recently held annual meeting of the steering committee of the Global Forestry Transformation for People and Climate, of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) sub-regional office for West Africa. This was the sixth meeting of the committee and the two-day event took place at the Bakadji Hotel.
“There is the need to take urgent action to combat desertification that already is manifested in this part of the country [Lower River Region]. By taking direct concrete steps that are aimed at promoting and strengthening sustainable management of land and other natural resources, we will together save what would have become potentially a serious negative consequence for generations to come,” the Minister advised.
She warned that inaction could lead to the reduction in future economic, social and environmental benefits that are associated with sustainable management of natural resources, including forests. “Through sustainable forest management efforts, we can improve the productivity of our agricultural land and thereby enhance food security of local communities and the attainment of the objectives of the National Development Plan (NDP)” she stated.
Also speaking on the occasion was the Coordinator of the FAO Sub-Regional office for West Africa, Dr. Gouantoueu Robert Guei, who also lamented the fact that our sub-region faces many challenges and bears the brunt of the effects of climate change, even though Africa contributes only 1.8% to global greenhouse gas emissions. He made reference to the agricultural sector, which he noted, accounts for about 30% of greenhouse gas emissions and, that along with forest exploitation, is one of the main drivers of deforestation. “According to the FAO (FRA 2020), annual forest loss in West and Central Africa is estimated at 1.9 million hectares between 2015 and 2020,” Mr Robert Guei reported.
Further in his deliberation, the West Africa FAO Coordinator warned that this year, according to the results of the Harmonised Framework, some 38.1 million people in the Sahel and West Africa region will be in a situation of acute food insecurity (phases 3 to 5) between March and May 2024. “If nothing is done, this number could rise to around 52 million between June and August, which is generally the lean season”.
The FAO Representative in The Gambia, Ms. Moshibudi Ramped, also spoke at the event, and highlighted the significance of the meeting, and the fight against climate change and insecurity.
