BY MINAJ RANJITA SINGH
Minaj Ranjita Singh is a second-year International Development student at SAIS. She has worked in rural parts of India, Cambodia, and West Africa, and is interested in Public Health and Food Security.
You may find it hard to believe that I gained weight during my time in Africa, one of the most food insecure continents in the world. But you would have, too, if your diet contained a high amount of palm oil, meat, and a whole lot of tasty, cheap beer!
The staple meal served in a Gambian home is white rice with a spicy sauce, which is traditionally eaten from a communal plate. Customarily, the head of the family divides the main course (e.g., meat, fish, or vegetables) and shares it amongst the people around the table. After the meal, everyone may be full, but are they all healthy?
The Gambia is a small and beautiful West African country with a population of two million. Most Gambian cooking contains high-fat ingerdients, such as groundnuts—one of their main cash crops—and palm oil, which is imported from neighbouring countries like Guinea-Bissau. Other staple ingredients “Maggi” or “Jumbo,” which are bouillon cubes used for flavor. Apart from containing high levels of sodium and toxic preservatives, these cubes are processed with hydrogenated oils, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and coloring agents.
As they are produced locally, these ingredients are the cheapest and most accessible, and are thus extremely prevalent. On the other hand, leafy green vegetables, fresh fruits, and legumes—healthier dietary staples—are costlier to obtain. Even popular local fruit juices like baobab (a citrus flavoured African fruit) and wonjo (made of hibiscus flower) contain a lot of added sugar.
If consumed daily, it is easy to see how these ingredients could be harmful to an individual’s health. Diets that contain high concentrations of sodium, saturated fats, and MSG are significant causes of heart and kidney diseases.Thus, the prevailing question remains—why are Gambians subsisting mainly on low-nutrient crops, and what can potentially be done to change this reality?
What accounts for Gambians’ limited access to high-nutrient crops?
Climate Change: Agricultural production in The Gambia accounts for less than one-quarter of its GDP (World Food Programme 2018) but employs 80% of its labor force (including those in agro-allied activities). But agricultural growth has declined over time, from 8.5% between 1995-2003 to 2.4% between 2008-17. This negative change was largely due to erratic rainfall, successive shocks of droughts and floods (in 2012 and 2016, respectively), and declining crop yields (World Bank 2019).
Insufficient Local Production: The country produces only half of the food it needs to sustain its population. Thus, it is heavily reliant on imports—for example, 80% of rice, a Gambian dietary staple, is imported (World Food Programme 2018). Highly-varied international market prices inherently make the goods more expensive than those which are locally grown.
Weak Food Management Systems: Location-wise, the country is in a favorable position, with access to both the Gambia River and the Atlantic Ocean. Because of this, Gambians have a lot of fish in their diet, which usually constitutes healthy meal choices. However, weak fish farming methods result in significant post-harvest losses and poor development of local fisheries (Sanneh Patrick 2009, 63-64, 88).
Tradition and Culture: While they may be nutritionally unhealthy ingredients, Maggi, Cassava, palm oil, and groundnuts are all critical parts of Gambian cuisine, which has been passed down over generations. Changing locals’ eating habits is no easy feat—speaking with local Gambians, they expressed discomfort at the notion of a meal without Cassava, Maggi, or white rice. Additionally, because The Gambia has neither an official national nutrition policy nor nutrition education curriculums in schools, children in particular are often malnourished.
How can The Gambian food system be improved?
Instead of flooding the market with crops imported from India and China, local Gambian enterprises should be focused on building more efficient internal value chains. For example, local farmers should have access to credit which can help diversify and increase their yields, ultimately allowing them to sell their larger quantity of crops to commercial players, as opposed to directly to consumers. With additional sources of funding up front, farmers will likely be incentivized to expand production beyond just the cash crops they already grow en masse. Ultimately, this would increase the supply of locally-grown fresh fruits and vegetables, even during lean seasons.
In a country with systemic poverty and food insecurity, supplying calories and achieving Zero Hunger—one of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—should be a national priority. With more policy and education around the importance of nutrition, in addition to the cooperation of private sector agriculture players, the next generation of Gambians will be healthier, happier, and more productive and active as they grow. After all, we are what we eat.
Bibliography
Niane, Aifa Fatimata Ndoye, Remi Kini, Sheu Salau, and Nabil M. Chaherli. The Gambia Agriculture Engagement Note: Fostering agriculture-led inclusive growth. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank, 2019.
Sanneh Patrick, Sarjo. "A Study of Food Insecurity and Rural Development in The Gambia: The Impact of Rural Weekly Markets (Lumos)." PhD diss., Kansas State University, 2009.
World Food Programme. Republic of The Gambia: Zero Hunger Strategic Review. Rome, Italy: World Food Programme, 2018.
Photo credit: Minaj Ranjita Singh
Cover photo credit: Free use image from Canva Pro.