Gambia-L: As usual, the e-mail below came from a source in the Gambia. I am sending it as received - unedited. Ebrima Ceesay _______________________________________________________________________ >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: How poor am I ? PART II >Date: > >Ebrima, >This is the final installment of the Participatory Poverty Assessment >report (PPA). My next installment will look at the results and >recommendations from the National Household Poverty Survey (NHPS) using the >quantitative (non-participatory) approach by deriving income from >expenditure and consumption data. >------------------------------ > >LOWER RIVER DIVISION > >POVERTY - Poverty incidence was estimated at 86 per cent. The following >were identified as the main causes of poverty in the division: Laziness and >unwillingness to work hard for a living; extravagance and mismanagement of >limited food and cash income;inadequate/erratic rainfall as a result of >drought; labour intensive farming and inadequate off-farm income generating >activities. > >FOOD SECURITY- some physical land problems, which contribute immensely to >decline in production, are declining soil fertility, salt intrusion into >rice fields, salinity and acidity due to prolonged periods of drought and >persistent erosion. Vegetable cultivation, which is critical for food >security, is under serious threat due to inadequate water supply. Problems >include low water table and water lifting problems. > >SOCIAL SERVICES - The rising cost of medical care/treatment and post >primary education against the background of low family incomes generally, >is making the attainment of "education for all" and "health for all" a >distant dream. Many people die of curable diseases due to ignorance, >inadequate and untimely consultation and lack of finance. Potable water >supply is not readily available in some of the communities and some women >spend 8-10 hours daily collecting water for domestic use. > >SOLUTIONS - controlling and redressing the effects of both salinity and >acidity in the rice fields through construction of dikes and liming >respectively; construction of road bridges and causeways to and within rice >fields will increase areas under cultivation and boost productivity; >availability of power tilling and tractor ploughing services on >credit/grant to ease labour intensity and improve production output; >availability of adequate farming inputs, implements and animal drawn carts >to improve production and timely evacuation of production; cash >credit/grant and further training to those engaged in fishing, carpentry, >masonry, blacksmithing, tailoring, baking, etc. to increase their >capacities; strengthening existing seed and cereal banking schemes and >establishing new ones to ensure food and seed security; training on group >organization, leadership and management for local institutions. > >CENTRAL RIVER DIVISION > >POVERTY - Poverty is characterized by poor health, lack of income, >landlessness, lack of skills, poor shelter, poor clothing, loss of weight, >too much meditation and inadequate food. In this regard, 94 per cent of >households live in poverty. > >FOOD SECURITY - most households in these villages are food poor. The food >scarcity period is generally between June and August, which period >coincides with "Saama" wet season. This is also the period when food and >cash produced from the previous year is finished and crop production is in >progress so that people do not have much time to be off farm searching for >food. > >SOCIAL SERVICES - The communities are fortunate to have access to many >educational facilities from lower basic school, madrassa and maglis and >high schools. Problems with these systems is when kids complete and need >to move to higher levels - fees to maintain them is always a difficult task >for parents which in most cases leads to incomplete education. > >SOLUTIONS - provision of agricultural credit support and skills training >opportunities, especially for the young people; availability in income >generating activities especially for women; revival of the Gambia Groundnut >Company (GGC) to facilitate employment opportunities as well as increase >production; availability of milling machines and spare parts; cash credit >facilities; improved social services especially health facilities; improved >transportation services (road networks) especially in the north bank; and >Institutional support for village institutions. > > >UPPER RIVER DIVISION > >POVERTY - There is widespread poverty in URD - 99 per cent according to the >results of this study and those mostly affected are women who, apart from >domestic chores, are highly engaged in agricultural activities. their lack >of implements and draft animals affects their productivity, hence their >labour is not compensated. > >FOOD SECURITY - For the people of URD there is no food security. At >certain times of the year, family food stocks go lean and are sometimes >even totally exhausted. This is caused by the people not being able to >produce sufficient food to last them the whole year. Most household >livelihood depends on the women who depend on manual labour to produce food >for the family. > >SOCIAL SERVICES - Human refuse disposal systems in the villages are grossly >inadequate. Distance to health care facilities is far with high costs. >The situation with village water supply systems and their maintenance cost >and eventual sustainability are causes of concern. > >SOLUTIONS - Hard work; availability of sufficient farming, including >fertilizers to supplement soil fertility, particularly for women; >sufficient rainfall and good market prices for their produce; good health >for increased productivity; availability of market prices for their >produce; good health for increased productivity; availability of wells that >are functioning; credit assistance from other agencies operating in the >area. >END > >The Central Statistics Department, in collaboration with Action Aid The >Gambia, should be commended for their invaluable input leading to the >publication of these extremely important reports. All those agencies which >provided financial, logistical and other forms of support should also be >commended. > > > _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface ----------------------------------------------------------------------------