By Olimatou Coker
The Rural Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resilience Building (RICAR) project is driving tangible economic empowerment for rural young women in The Gambia by pairing climate-smart enterprise development with focused climate adaptation and entrepreneurship support.
Through intensive training and targeted start-up grants, RICAR is enabling participants to launch viable climate-smart businesses that strengthen household resilience, improve food security, and generate sustainable income.
RICAR is a five-year initiative funded by the World Food Programme (WFP) through the Adaptation Fund (AF) and executed by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources (MECCNAR). Implementation is underway across the Upper River Region (URR) and the Central River Region (CRR) North and South. The project’s overarching goal is clear and actionable: enhance the adaptive capacity of rural populations through support to climate-resilient and diversified livelihoods.
To translate policy into practice, RICAR has partnered with the National Nutrition Agency (NaNA) to deliver Social and Behavioural Change Communication (SBCC) activities led by Multidisciplinary Facilitation Teams (MDFTs) and RICAR Community Change Agents. These agents are trained to run SBCC sessions that promote practical climate mitigation and adaptation measures—such as sustainable land use, water conservation, and climate-smart agriculture—within their own communities. Critically, Change Agents receive grants to start climate-smart businesses and agricultural ventures that both reduce vulnerability to climate shocks and create income streams. NaNA’s role also includes collecting and documenting human-interest and Most Significant Change stories to evidence impact and guide adaptation strategies.
Human-interest outcomes from CRR North illustrate how grants are converting training into livelihoods:
– In Hosan Angalais, Upper Saloum, Change Agent Fama Njie used a D200,000 grant to establish a poultry enterprise, constructing a dedicated housing unit and stocking 200 chicks. She said the training and capital have been transformative, enabling her to meet local demand and reduce the need for long-distance purchases. She urged fellow Change Agents to invest their grants wisely in agriculture-related ventures that directly strengthen community resilience, and called on all residents to desist from brush fires and unnecessary tree cutting.
– In Bakadaji, Niani, Change Agent Bintou Jatta invested D207,000 in poultry, building a proper house and stocking 200 chicks with feed. Before her enterprise, residents traveled to other villages for chickens; now they can buy locally. She noted that the business provides a vital buffer during the rainy season if farm yields dip, helping her support her family year-round.
In Njoben Tuklorr, Change Agent Fatim Sallah used a D115,000 grant to purchase 15 goats and construct a shelter. Beyond income from animal husbandry, she plans to use goat waste as organic fertilizer to improve crop productivity, reinforcing climate-smart practices. Formerly unemployed after senior school, she described the initiative as life-changing for herself, her family, and the wider community, and pledged to work diligently to honor the project’s trust.
RICAR’s integrated model—combining SBCC, technical training, seed capital, and mentorship—moves beyond awareness to delivery of assets, market access, and lasting behavior change. By equipping women and youth to lead local adaptation solutions, the project is strengthening rural value chains, curbing harmful practices like bushfires, and building community-level resilience to climate shocks. Sustained financing and scaled implementation will be essential to extend these gains across more districts and deepen the impact on livelihoods and nutrition.
