IFAD’s view from above: The Gambia’s experience with Earth

Observation

Presentation by Moses Abukari

Valencia, Spain

26 March 2015

About International Fund for Agricultural

Development-IFAD

• Established in 1977 as a result of Sahel drought

• International financial institution and Specialized UN agency based in Rome (UN’s Food and Agricultural Hub)

• Provides low-interest loans and grants for agricultural and rural development programmes and projects

• Invests in rural people, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience

• Focusing on smallholders especially women

• Since 1978, IFAD had invested over US$16.3 billion in pojects and programmes that have reached some 438 million people

IFAD’s sharpened brand

Investing in rural people www.ifad.org

About IFAD continued

• Change in operating model:

country/sub-and regional offices,

out-posted personnel

• Direct Design

• Direct supervision of the projects

and programmes (18% of 151 project

in 2007, now 100%)

• RIMS and recently Impact

evaluation initiative to demonstrate

improved accountability and

development effectiveness

• Results-based Country Strategies

and Programming (ARRI underlines

the need for more analytical work,

including risk assessments at the

outset of COSOP and project

design processes) .

And our commitments for 2013-2015 are to:

• Strengthen country leadership and ownership

• Strengthen assessments of economic returns of

investment during project design

• Increase focus on strategic long-term partnerships

• Strengthen national monitoring and evaluation systems

• Strengthen analysis of climate change and

environmental issues in IFAD’s operations to support

innovative approaches

Region # of

programs &

projects

% of

total

IFAD financing

(USD, m)

% of

total

WCA 47 21 1 087.8 20

ESA 42 19 1 211.9 23

APR 56 25 1 752.8 33

LAC 42 19 617.4 12

NEN 36 16 698.2 13

Total 223 5 368.2

Ongoing portfolios in the regions, as of end Dec 2014

Key Initiatives

The Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP) • launched by IFAD in 2012 to channel climate and environmental finance to smallholder farmers so that they can

increase their resilience.

• Multi donor funded programme (UK, Belgium,Netherlands, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Switzerland)

• Objective: to scale-up and integrate climate change adaptation in large-scale rural development programmes

• Analysis of climate risks (including baseline surveys will generate enough data to ensure that impacts on

poverty, income generation, malnutrition and vulnerability can be accurately measured), diversification and

reduction of their impacts – multi benefit approaches

• empower community-based organisations to make use of new climate risk management skills, information and

technologies

• 10 point climate mainstreaming plan

Platform for Agricultural Risk Management (PARM) • Launched in Dec 2013 and being implemented in nine countries (Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Ethiopia, Liberia,

Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, The Gambia and Uganda)

• Aims to facilitate the identification, assessment, quantification and management of agricultural risks

• Partner of relevant service providers to develop strategies to address manageable risks and mainstream such

strategies into public policies, private sector practices and agricultural investment programmes

Index-weather insurance

Importance of EO-GIS services

• The need for real-time data and information for informed

decision is paramount in our rapidly changing and complex

environment

• Targeting investment options for high impact can no longer be

predicated on “guesstimate” if modern and advanced

technologies are within reach

• Planning and Designing projects/programmes should be based

on sound, precise and accurate measurement and data

• Monitoring and Evaluation of project will remain key aspect of

development but sometimes donor needs outstretch local

capacities

• Results and evidence-based policy and decision making is

“now” everybody’s business !! (Open-data source society??)

The Gambia context

• A small country below sea level and completely engulfed by Senegal

• A river traversing from East to West

• Rising sea level significantly influencing river regime (high sea water intrusion and

affecting cultivable land)

• Rampant soil erosion and water run-off from upland areas

• Climate change effects observed in recurrent droughts and floods (Sahel drought in

2011/2012 cropping season), delay rains and short intensity in 2014-2015 cropping

season (variable estimate of crop production loss)

• Rice main stable food produced in different ecologies but by mainly women

• Dominance of rainfed farming and scattered irrigation farming across the country by

smallholders

• About 54% of the land area is arable (540,000ha), out of which about 39%

(188,000ha). About 81,000 ha are irrigable, out of which 45,360ha is in the Central

River Region, and 35,640ha in the Upper River Region. Currently less than 2,000 ha of

this potential area is under irrigation

• Low yields, low production and local production support 20-30% of national rice needs

No freshwater

No tidal swamp rice

Lower River

Perennially saline

Lower Central River Seasonally saline Tidal swamp rice

Tidal swamp rice

Upper Central River Perennial fresh water Tidal Swamp rice

Limit of mangroves

Maximum salt water intrusion

Upper River

No tidal rice

Backswamps

Baseline sensitivities of The Gambia to climate change

The Gambia experience with EO

• Under Coordination of European Space Agency (ESA) for five pilot countries building on first pilot from Madagascar

• Sarmap was contracted for Rice Crop Monitoring in The Gambia • Pre-need assessments, technical meetings • Agreement to have in-country capacity building and awareness raising at high level • In-country team for field validation and collection of in-situ data over defined

moments

Achievements under Sarmap partnership

• High Resolution National Land user cover map (2014, to serve as

strong baseline)

• Provided seasonal land use changes for a decade

• Trained and certificated 22 in-country participants with diverse

background and institutions

• Led to set-up of informal GEON with a recognized national focal

point but requested for more capacity building

• Shared widely the results and information (Edinburgh Sept 2013)

• Ministerial presentation of final products

• Used results as reference baseline for planning

• Ministerial empowerment for effective and timely decision making

process

• Increased visibility for country and IFAD through many KM

products and communication

Agricultural area

Mangrove - Sandbanks

Water

Bare soil-weak vegetation (low biomass)

Medium vegetation (medium biomass)

Strong vegetation (high biomass)

National Land Cover baseline map (based on multi-year, multi-sensor Land Cover map at 15 m) January 2014, produced by Sarmap as part of

European Space Agency-IFAD collaboration to pilot the application of Earth Observation in The Gambia.

What View next:

Now with strong baseline for new project Nema within the broader context of Gambia

Agric investment plan 2011-2015

Need to continuously monitor IFAD’s performance and contribution to national food

security and poverty reduction and more imperative now with Vision 2016 agenda

Therefore, ERMES comes at the appropriate time.

Nema, country flagship programme in the country with ongoing investments especially

to support national rice food self sufficiency

- Irrigation, rainfed

- National Rice Development Strategy (investment options?)

Further demonstration to Government of the usefulness and relevance of data for

informed planning and decision

Operationalised an Agricultural Sector M&E system providing data and information

from village to national level

Ongoing Government interest to introduce and tap into crop insurance schemes (Africa

Risk Capacity)

ASAP grant to strengthen Nema’s resilience (Chosso)

Community empowerment through acces to timely, reliable information and data in

user friendly manner for informed decision

Thank you

• www.ifad.org

• www.ruralpovertyportal.org

http://ifad-un.blogspot.com

www.twitter.com/ifadnews

www.facebook.com/IFAD

http://www.slideshare.net/ifad

www.youtube.com/user/ifadTV

http://pinterest.com/ifad/