A group photo of excited graduands with FAOR, Dir. Fisheries
In a significant stride towards securing food security and sustainable livelihoods, 35 government officials on Tuesday, 03September 2024, completed a four-week intensive training on aquaculture management. The closing ceremony supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) marked a milestone in the Gambia’s efforts to bolster its aquaculture sector, with a strong focus on climate change adaptation and innovative farming practices.
Tuesday’s event indicates The Gambia’s commitment to transforming its aquaculture sector. The training, a key component of the Green Climate Fund-supported PROREFISH Gambia intervention, was designed to equip participants with the necessary skills to tackle the pressing challenges facing the sector. Attendees included 20 representatives from the Department of Fisheries, 10 from the Department of Agriculture, and 5 from the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), reflecting a multi-sectoral approach to building resilience in the face of climate change.
It also focused on adapting to and mitigating the impacts of climate change within aquaculture, emphasizing the importance of species selection, site and water quality management, and fish disease surveillance. Participants also explored the integration of aquaculture with other agricultural practices, such as rice-fish farming, and gained insights into the business aspects of managing aquaculture as a profitable and sustainable enterprise.
Ms. Shibu Rampedi, the FAO Representative in The Gambia, highlighted the importance of the training, stating that “Over the past four weeks, the selected participants learned, collaborated, and reiterated The Gambia’s commitment to a brighter future for the aquaculture sector. Today’s event shows what we can achieve when we come together with a common purpose. The economic benefits of climate-adaptive aquaculture production confirm that aquaculture can be a profitable and sustainable enterprise.”
PROREFISH Gambia is dedicated to building the capacity of fisheries and agriculture extension staff in The Gambia through targeted training in aquaculture principles, management, and related activities. Recognizing the declining state of world capture fisheries due to factors like climate change, overfishing, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, this initiative seeks to bolster food security by scaling up aquaculture development.
By promoting aquaculture through innovative technologies such as fishpond culture and rice-fish farming, the project aims to reduce the pressure on natural fish stocks, improve the livelihoods of 167,643 vulnerable Gambians—52.4% of whom are women—and ensure a sustainable and profitable future for the fisheries sector. However, the development of aquaculture in The Gambia faces challenges, such as the lack of good quality fish seed, feed, and technical expertise, highlighting the critical need for continued technical support and capacity building to transform the sector into an economically vibrant and sustainable sector.
Mrs. Anna Mbenga Cham, the Director of Fisheries, underscored the global significance of aquaculture. “Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food-producing sector globally and is playing an important role in improving the nutritional standards of many low-income earners worldwide,” she noted. Mbenga Cham stressed the need for proactive measures to reduce pressure on capture fisheries, particularly given the dependence of Gambia’s population on these resources for their livelihoods and food security.
Towards the end of the training, participants also engaged in hands-on practical sessions. Ahmet Tijan Jobe, one of the participants, presented a remarkable improvement in the participants’ knowledge and skills. “The pre-test average score was 43%, which jumped to 67.5% in the post-test. This significant improvement shows how successful this training has been,” Jobe remarked. He expressed confidence that the participants would now be able to apply their newfound knowledge in the field, benefiting farmers and boosting aquaculture production in The Gambia.
During the four-week program, participants gained practical experience by visiting oyster farms and a fish hatchery in Lamin, and a community vegetable garden in Sukuta. A five-day field visit was also held Jahally; this gave the participants the opportunity to visit the Jahally Aquaculture Centre and also to meet with farmers in Jahally to discuss the introduction of rice-fish culture and the significance of this practice in mitigating Climate change likewise increasing food self-sufficiency. These visits were designed to give them insights into integrating aquaculture with other agricultural activities.
As emphasized by Shibu Rampedi, the success of this training is only the first step. “If we are to truly unlock the potential of aquaculture, we need to continue investing in capacity building, infrastructure, and technical support. This is not a task for tomorrow; it is a task for today,” she concluded. The PROREFISH Gambia has laid a solid foundation, and with continued effort, the future of aquaculture in The Gambia is promising.
