The Sahel region of West Africa, where The Gambia is located, has been significantly impacted by climate change. Rapid population growth has also altered the country’s land cover and its land use. Less rainfall leads to low agriculture yields and an impact is land degradation, making agriculture and other land uses less productive, leading to food insecurity as a human risk. The expansion of residential settlements, in some cases, has resulted to
conflicts between real estate agents, farmers, and pastoralists.
Based on the above challenges, The Gambia Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science, and Technology (MoHERST) and University of The Gambia (UTG), in consultation with German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences plan to undertake the project: UTG/Land Use Management in The Gambia (UTG/LUMGam).
The project will undertake surveys to investigate land use approaches and the effects on relevant socio-economic indicators such as rural employment, income structures and also the provision of ecosystem services for the Gambian society. This feasibility study will be performed over a 24-months period, leading to guidelines for policy-makers and a report with recommendations for further studies and projects.