Banjul, The Gambia – The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in collaboration with the World Bank are working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Security and the Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBOS) to conduct a National Agricultural Sample Census (NASC) set to take place in 2025. This is part of the broader 50x2030 Initiative to close the Agricultural data gap in The Gambia. The Initiative will ensure that The Gambia's agricultural data systems are robust, reliable, and ready to support the nation's agricultural development goals.

Taking place from August 19 to August 31, 2024, a technical training focused on survey questionnaire design review and pre-testing for the upcoming NASC is being conducted. The pre-test is an essential step in ensuring that the survey tools and manuals are effective and that they will help gather accurate and meaningful data from farming community  across the country.

Leading the mission are  FAO Statisticians, Marie VanderDonckt, Adama Lo and Boubacar Dembele, They  bring extensive expertise in agricultural data collection and survey design. They will work closely with the Department of Planning (DOP) under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Security to conduct field pre-tests, training of enumerators, and will launch a pilot survey.

"The success of this pre-test phase is crucial," said Adama Lo, one of the facilitators. "It allows us to fine-tune the survey instruments, ensuring that they are not only comprehensive but also user-friendly for both the enumerators and the farmers who will be providing the data."

The fieldwork will be conducted in the vicinity of Banjul, targeting areas that practice livestock, rainfed agriculture, and horticulture. Data collected during the pre-test will be carefully analyzed and used to make necessary adjustments to the survey tools before the final NASC rollout.

This mission underscores FAO's commitment to supporting The Gambia in achieving its agricultural development objectives and aspirations. By strengthening the country's agricultural data systems, the 50x2030 Initiative is helping pave the way for evidence-based policymaking that can drive sustainable agricultural growth and food security in The Gambia.

About 50x2030 Initiative:

The 50x2030 Initiative is a 10-year, US$500 million Multi-Agency Partnership that seeks to bridge the agricultural data gap by transforming data systems in 50 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America by 2030. It is implemented through a unique partnership between the World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). 50x2030 works directly with partner countries to promote data-smart agriculture to address food crises, climate vulnerabilities, improve rural livelihoods, create jobs and build resilience.