Key Trends from the 2004 country brief

• During 1991-2001, the total number of agricultural researchers in The Gambia rose by nearly 50 percent, whereas total agricultural R&D expenditures and funding were down by more than half.
• The main agricultural R&D agency is the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), accounting for about two-thirds of The Gambia’s agricultural researchers and R&D expenditures.
• With the completion of the Agricultural Services Project (ASP) in 1999, the Gambian agricultural research sector was left to face a bleak financial situation. The country’s expenditures-per-agricultural-researcher levels and its research intensity ratio are now among Africa’s lowest.
• Compared with many African countries, agricultural research staff in The Gambia are significantly less qualified.
• The involvement of the private sector in The Gambia’s agricultural R&D is minimal, representing 2 percent of agricultural research staff and spending in 2001.

The Gambia