Gambiaj.com – (Banjul, The Gambia) – The Gambia is among 13 West African nations set to benefit from a $9.44 million grant approved by the African Development Fund (ADF), the concessional arm of the African Development Bank (AfDB), aimed at enhancing climate resilience in rice value chains.
The funding, channeled through the ADF’s Climate Action Window, will support the implementation of the Regional Resilient Rice Value Chains Development Project in West Africa (REWARD), with a particular focus on the adaptation component, REWARD-Adaptation.
The initiative is designed to boost the capacity of rice producers and processors to respond to climate change by accelerating the adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices and technologies.
In The Gambia, where rice remains a staple food but local production struggles to meet national demand, this intervention offers renewed hope for food security and youth employment. Gambian rice farmers, particularly women and young people, are expected to be among the direct beneficiaries of the project.
According to the AfDB, the project will distribute climate-resilient rice seeds to 11,000 farmers across the region, of whom 4,950 will be women and 6,600 youth.
A total of 12,600 farmers and processors will receive training in climate-resilient practices, with additional support extended to 65 small and medium-sized enterprises to access equipment and improved market channels.
Importantly, digital platforms and radio will be used to deliver climate services and early warning systems to up to 2 million people, helping to reduce crop losses and improve planning. Each country, including The Gambia, will also receive four automatic weather stations to enhance national climate monitoring systems.
“The strategy for this project is to reduce the vulnerability and strengthen the resilience of rice value chains, from production to processing and marketing, while lowering greenhouse gas emissions through the dissemination and adoption of climate-smart practices and technologies,” said Marwan Ladki, the AfDB’s Senior Irrigation Engineer and project lead.
The REWARD-Adaptation project is expected to generate approximately 47,000 jobs across the region – 8,000 permanent and 39,000 seasonal – in a timely boost for economies striving to build sustainable and inclusive agricultural sectors.
For The Gambia, where rice importation has long strained national foreign reserves, this regional initiative could mark a turning point in the country’s quest for rice self-sufficiency and rural resilience in the face of climate change.
