FAO supplies High Tech Navigation Equipment to the Ministry of Agriculture
Promoting innovation for food security and sustainable development
03 December 2020, Banjul –The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) handed over high tech navigation equipment to the Ministry of Agriculture in Banjul on Thursday 3rd November 2020. The equipment comprising of 25 electronic weighing scales and 29 Global Positioning System (GPS) hand-held devices will significantlyimprove the precision and information the Planning Services Unit under the Department of Agriculture and the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI) will obtain when collecting crop data, weighing sample field crops harvested and reporting.
The crop area (area planted and area harvested) is among the key variables included in the core data set defined in the Global Strategy to Improve Agriculture and Rural Statistics adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission which are produced by all countries on a regular basis.
Lack of timely, accurate and adequate crop data are some of the key challenges hindering the development of the agriculture sector in the Gambia. FAO procured the equipment worthD1.3million thanks to the generous support of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) that funds the FAO Gambia project “Adapting Agriculture to Climate change in The Gambia”. The equipment will help support the project’s objective to promote sustainable and diversified livelihood strategies and reduce the impacts of climate change in the agriculture and livestock sector. The Project is implemented by FAO in close partnership with the executing partners namely: Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture, Department of Livestock Services, National Agriculture Research Institute, National Environment Agency and the Department of Water Resources.
Mr. Mustapha Ceesay, Assistant FAO Country Representative and Head of Programmes officially consigned the equipment to Mr. Ebrima Sisawo, Permanent Secretary, in a small event held at the Ministry of Agriculture in Banjul.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sisawo thanked FAO for handing over this new equipment just a week after donating vehicles and IT equipment worth over 6Million Gambian Dalasi to institutions under the Ministry of Agriculture. He described the intervention as apt and timely noting that the electronic scales and GPS devices will significantly improve data collection and reporting.
“This equipment will give you the real and factual data and not estimates.. Achieving the set priorities of the National Development Plan 2018 – 2021 as well as the 2020–2030 Decade of Action is our ultimate objective and this FAO intervention will go a long way in helping to enhance the Government’s capacity for data collection and reporting. It will also provide very accurate and detailed information crucial for planning and decision making in the agriculture sector. This will ultimately help improve farmers’ livelihoods and income,” he said. Mr. Sisawo assured that the items would be put into good use.
Mr. Mustapha Ceesay explained that the use of handheld geo-referencing devices (global positioning system and personal data assistant equipped with GPS) is an effective tool that will reduce the cost of crop area data collection and improve the quality of the crop area data collected. He noted that the new technology will contribute to achieve of FAO’s mandate within the framework of the 2030 agenda. He said: “This equipment will strengthen the Ministry of Agriculture’s capacity to collect their data and create records. It will enhance their food security assessment and early warning monitoring.”