Africa

Gambia


SDG Localization

Empowering Communities for Resilient Food Systems in Foni

Total funding allocated
US $ 250000
Co-funding by UN agencies
-

The Gambia’s food systems face significant challenges from poverty, climate change, environmental degradation, limited market access, weak infrastructure and fragmented programming. The Foni region is particularly dependent on horticulture, with women playing a key role in agricultural production, while limited irrigation, manual labour and fluctuating market demand constrain the sector’s potential. The Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programme provides an entry point to address these challenges by improving children’s nutrition and education outcomes while supporting local farmers and strengthening local food systems. Through this Joint Programme, WFP and ITC will leverage the HGSF model to strengthen local food systems and resilience by integrating smallholder farmers into structured markets, strengthening local governance and community ownership, promoting nutrition awareness, and supporting climate-smart and sustainable agricultural practices. The programme applies a Leave No One Behind lens, targeting vulnerable populations including women, youth and marginalized communities, while seeking to address systemic inequalities and create an enabling environment for sustainable development.

Approach

The Joint Programme adopts an integrated approach to strengthening local food systems, leveraging Home-Grown School Feeding and using the human security lens to development as an entry point. Through multi-level governance and participatory planning, the programme will strengthen the capacity of Area Councils, Village Development Committees and other local stakeholders to integrate sustainable food systems and inclusive development into local governance and planning. It will also strengthen the capacity of farmers and communities to produce, process and supply nutritious food sustainably, integrate marginalized groups into value chains, and promote climate-smart agricultural practices. 

Quick facts

Total Funding:
$250,000
UN Agencies:

WFP, ITC

National Partners:

Government of The Gambia; Area Councils; Village Development Committees (VDCs); smallholder farmer cooperatives; private sector and local community representatives.

Duration:
May 2025 – May 2026

Financial Information