Community Food Security and Nutrition Facilitator in The Gambia (Africa)

Project Description

By working alongside the people of The Gambia, Volunteers serving as Community Food Security and Nutrition Facilitators will have the opportunity to improve food and nutrition security of farmers in rural communities through these core activities:

• Supporting farmers/individuals to improve agroforestry production management practices or technologies
o Encouraging creation of tree nurseries and tree planting using improved techniques, and helping establish woodlots and orchards
• Supporting farmers/individuals to improve crop cultivation management practices or technologies
o Promoting new and improved gardening and vegetable production techniques
o Improve the diversity, productivity, and/or sustainability of crop production;
• Supporting farmers/individuals to improve small animal husbandry management practices or technologies
o Promoting and training farmers in poultry management
o Promoting and training farmers in bee keeping
• Supporting farmers/individuals to improve post-harvest management practices or technologies
• Supporting women of reproduction age (WRA) and/or key household decision makers to increase dietary diversity of households
o Educating farmers and community groups on nutrition and nutrition-sensitive agricultural production
• Supporting individuals/groups to make sound decisions about the feasibility, management, and sustainably of their small-scale economic activities
o Collaborating with farmers on activities that generate agriculture-related income

The Gambia has a short rainy season (3-4 months) and a long dry season. Most traditional agricultural activities are done during the short rainy season. Therefore, to enhance the productive capacity of a community, the project focuses on establishing and improving dry season vegetable gardens and tree nurseries. Most farmers are highly skilled in field crop production, but may have less experience with these dry season activities, so Volunteers have a unique opportunity to have a substantial impact by supporting community members to appreciate and practice these new techniques in a sustainable manner.

Malnutrition is common in The Gambia, especially among children and pregnant women. In addition to working with farmers to address this challenge by implementing nutrition-sensitive agricultural projects, Volunteers will work with mothers and children to improve nutrition education within their community especially at the household level.

Volunteers may also work to promote and support beekeeping and poultry management in their communities. Bees are essential for pollination and thus enhance gardening and farming efforts. Additionally, products made from beekeeping can be a source of income, and this income also inspires the new beekeepers to protect existing trees and woodlots which house the hives. In every community there are chickens but minimal or zero management is given to them. Communities rely on imported poultry products which could easily be produced at the household level with improved management practices. Food and nutrition security could significantly be improved if poultry production at the household level is encouraged.

Peace Corps The Gambia promotes gender awareness and girls’ education and empowerment. Volunteers will receive training on gender challenges in the country and will have the opportunity to implement gender-related activities that are contextually appropriate. During service, Volunteers will look for ways to work with community members to promote gender-equitable norms and increase girls’ sense of agency.

As part of their work, Volunteers will monitor and report on their efforts and impact.

The Peace Corps enjoys a long and positive history with The Gambia. The first Peace Corps Volunteers arrived in 1967, and since then more than 1,800 Volunteers have worked with Gambian men and women to build strong relationships and make a lasting impact on their communities.

Climate Change Activities

As the impacts of climate change become ever more evident, the social, economic, and environmental context within which smallholder farmers seek to maintain and improve their livelihood and support their families will continue to change. This will add significantly to the challenges of smallholder farming, particularly for the most disadvantaged communities. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, you will be trained to use a participatory approach and tools to identify locally determined priorities and conditions, including those related to the impacts of climate change. As an Agriculture Volunteer, you will be trained to use this local knowledge in engaging smallholder farmers in a climate-smart approach that:

• promotes the adoption of improved, appropriate, and adaptive agricultural practices and technologies that sustainably increase productivity;
• builds and strengthens household resilience by integrating and diversifying existing and new agriculture-related income-generating opportunities; and
• reduces greenhouse gas emissions attributable to ineffective and carbon intensive farming practices and encourages adoption of agricultural practices and activities that sequester carbon.

Required Skills

Qualified candidates will have an expressed interest in working in agriculture and one or more of the following criteria:
• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any field
OR
• 5 years' professional work experience