In a Country Beset by a Critical Skills Shortage: A Lifeline for Research

The Gambia is a tiny country in West Africa that relies heavily on small-scale agriculture, yet faces numerous difficulties and constraints in its agricultural system. Crop yields for staples such as groundnuts and maize have been declining over the past thirty years, as soils have grown depleted, crop diseases have spread, and the threat of climate change now looms large. While such challenges have steadily grown both more severe and more complex, however, the country has suffered from serious underinvestment in agriculture: for more than a decade, research has dwindled as key experts have left the system.

Recognizing research as one of the key pillars that is necessary for boosting agricultural productivity in the developing world, the Strengthening Capacity for Agricultural Research and Development in Africa (SCARDA) programme, initiated by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and funded by the British Government’s Department for International Development (DFID), gave support to help selected institutions across Sub-Saharan Africa address the gaps in their agricultural research systems. The purpose of SCARDA was to strengthen the capacity of people and institutions within these systems to produce research to meet the needs of the poor.