Food security profile The Gambia

Despite of important progress made in preventing and managing food crisis, the West African countries have faced food crisis in the last decades. Some of them result from temporary shocks. Others are mainly linked to structural causes of food insecurity. Assessing short-term responses to transitory food insecurity is only a part of the solution. There is a significant convergence on the need for a greater commitment to address long term structural solutions to food insecurity.

Within the framework of the Food Crisis Prevention and Management Network (RPCA), the SWAC in association with the CILSS and other regional actors implicated in food security (Network of Peasant Organizations and Producers in West Africa ? ROPPA and ECOWAS) launched an initiative aiming to provide "Country Profiles on Food Security" for the Sahel and West Africa.

The profiles provide a set of analytical indicators allowing a etter understanding of the causes of food crises. This analysis intends to inform and support decision-makers to take them into account when defining policies and investment strategies for a sustainable food security.

To date, nine country profiles of the CILSS member countries have been produced; the country profiles of the eight non-Sahelian countries are forthcoming.

SWAC, CILSS - September 2009