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Management of rice production systems to increase productivity

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50000<br />

40000<br />

30000<br />

20000<br />

10000<br />

0<br />

Total Rice Production T Cultivated Area Ha<br />

1980 1985 1990 1995 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002<br />

Total Rice Production T 42700 23100 21000 18950 26636 31653 34100 32600 20452<br />

Cultivated Area Ha 27400 13700 16610 16370 19608 15900 16700 18168 11979<br />

Figure 1. Rice Productivity and Cultivation Trends in The Gambia<br />

The decline in <strong>rice</strong> area under cultivation is greater in the lowland<br />

ecology than in the upland (Figure 2). This is because the mangrove swamp<br />

ecosystem which is critically affected by drought, acidification and<br />

salinization as well as the rain‐fed swamps are classed under the lowland<br />

ecology. Due <strong>to</strong> reduction in available moisture, close <strong>to</strong> 40% <strong>of</strong> the mangrove<br />

swamp area is no longer fit for cultivation or requires intensive amelioration<br />

efforts before <strong>rice</strong> could be re‐cultivated. The Gambia government is<br />

financing lowland development projects aimed at increasing the area under<br />

irrigated <strong>rice</strong> <strong>production</strong>. Water retention dikes have been constructed in<br />

several rain‐fed eco<strong>systems</strong> <strong>to</strong> retain run‐<strong>of</strong>f water for <strong>rice</strong> irrigation.<br />

9

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