http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/58 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 15:06:36 GMT 2026-04-23T15:06:36Z http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/110 Assessment of Farmers’ Vulnerability to Climate Change in The North Bank Region, The Gambia Ba, Mamoudou Climate variability and change have become a major concern for farmers who have experienced its negative effects through crop failure and reduction in income. This research assess the vulnerability of farmers in the North Bank Region of the Gambia to selected climate change factors and extreme event based on an indicator approach. Twenty four indicator which reflect the component of vulnerability: exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity, were selected for the purpose of this work. Data were collected through a household survey and key informant interview. The result of the household survey was used to determine the vulnerability index computed by subtracting adaptation capacity on exposure and sensitivity. Two approaches of normalization namely: maximum value transformation and z-score transformation, and another one without normalization (simple average) were used to determine the indexes of vulnerability. The results of the study show that communities and districts that have a high exposure to climate change and extremes were more vulnerable. Furthermore, it was found vulnerability was strongly related to the socio-economic characteristics of farmers. At the community level Kerr Jarga Jobe was found to be the most vulnerable, while at the district level Jokadu was more vulnerable than Lower Baddibu. Overall the study area was found to be highly vulnerable using the simple average and maximum value transformation, whereas it was less vulnerable using the z-score transformation approach. The vulnerability of farmers in the North Bank region is mainly triggered by socio-economic factor which can be influenced by policy maker. Therefore, policy intervention should be focused on improving farmers’ adaptive capacity at the local level. A Thesis submitted to the West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Education and The University of The Gambia in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Tue, 01 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMT http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/110 2015-12-01T00:00:00Z http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/108 Flood Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Responses: Case Study of Basse, The Gambia Bore, Abdoulaye In this study, the vulnerability of inhabitants to flooding in Kaba-Kama and Basse-Layout (two sub-districts of Basse town, The Gambia) was assessed. The analysis and assessment of the vulnerability was based on the application of indicators. The integrated vulnerability assessment approach which combined the socio-economic and biophysical variables was adopted to analyse vulnerability of Basse to flooding. A simple random sampling technique was adopted in administering the copies of questionnaire, from which the respondents’ household age of construction, building materials used, level of education, ownership of radio/TV/phone, impact of floods on welfare and residents’ past flood experience were understood. Principal component analysis was employed to give weights to the different factors affecting vulnerability. The Vulnerability Index was calculated as the net effect of sensitivity and exposure on adaptive capacity following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2007) definition of vulnerability. The vulnerability index scores of Kaba-Kama and Basse-Layout were 0.36 and 0.70, respectively. This suggests that Kaba-Kama faces more negative effects of flooding than Basse-Layout. Results indicated that Kaba-Kama and Basse-Layout are vulnerable to flooding, mainly due to physical damage on both the compounds and food items as well as to a low collective action against the threat. Coping measures adopted included mainly the use of sandbags, digging of drainage channels, building of fence around the compound and filling gaps in the streets with stones. About 74% and 64% of the respondents respectively in Kaba-Kama and Basse-Layout indicated that coping strategies adopted were effective on a short term but can not help properly deal with the situation, especially on a long run. The study recommends a close working relationship between community members and institutions involved in flooding management in the area. A flood information guideline was designed to provide support for different users, i.e., general public, decision-makers and disaster management professionals. A Thesis submitted to the West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Education and The University of The Gambia in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Sun, 01 Nov 2015 00:00:00 GMT http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/108 2015-11-01T00:00:00Z http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/107 Farmers’ Awareness and Response to Climate Change in the North Bank Region, The Gambia Kutir, Cynthia Climate change is noted to adversely affect livelihood activities globally through the occurrence of diverse extreme events and climate uncertainties. Rain-fed agriculture which is the backbone of most sub-Saharan economies is seriously under threat due to climate change. Thus, for farmers to sustain their livelihoods and increase crop production there is the need for them to be aware of climate change and how they can sustainably respond to it. This study focused on farmers’ awareness of climate change and their response to its effect in the North Bank Region of The Gambia. Data for the study were collected from 258 farmer household heads selected through a multi-stage sampling technique, 9 focus group discussions and 2 key informant interviews. Descriptive statistics, climate change awareness index (CCAI) and a probit regression model were used to analyze the data obtained from the households. The findings indicated that 80.6% of the farmers were aware of climate change with an average awareness index of 0.586 (58.6%). Also, an overwhelming majority of 93.41% of the farmers responded by adopting one or more response strategies. Thus, results of the probit regression model revealed that climate change awareness, access to extension, age, size of farmland, membership of farmer organization and marital status significantly influence a farmer’s response to climate change. However, inadequate credit, access to efficient inputs, access to information and poor technological skills, labor constraints and inadequate access to market were the major constraints inhibiting farmers’ response to climate change. Therefore, the study recommends that farmers collaborate to form farmer associations to enable them have easy access to farm inputs and training from donor and government agencies to improve their climate change knowledge and enhance their adaptive capacity to climate change. A Thesis submitted to the West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Education and The University of The Gambia in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Sun, 01 Nov 2015 00:00:00 GMT http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/107 2015-11-01T00:00:00Z http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/106 Ecosystem-Based Adaptation to Climate Change through Prioritization of crop Wild Relatives: The Case of the Gambia Sinsin, Corine Bitossessi Laurenda Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) are important ecosystem’s resources that could play important role for the success of an Ecosystem-based Adaptation to climate change. To evaluate their diversity in The Gambia, current crops were matched with species from the Flora, considering the genus as the level of identity. Overall 238 CWR were identified and prioritized using 09 criteria: species’ origin, economic value, ethnobotanic value, nutritional value, conservation status, legislation, threat assessment, national and global distribution. These criteria were applied to PSP, PSPW, BRS, and CRS methods as described by Brehm et al. (2010). Results were cross-checked to obtain 20 priority species. Among priority species, Malvaceae family, represented by the genus “Hibiscus”, was dominant (45%) in The Gambia. Genus like Acacia, Annona, Solanum, Sesamum, Pennisetum, and Vigna were also represented. Advanced ranking was done to select the top genus to benefit urgent conservation action plan. From that point, the distribution of Acacia was assessed using MaxEnt. Projections have been made at horizon 2050 based on HadGEM-ES and Miroc5 models and scenarios RCP 4.5 and 8.5. Results showed that whatever the case (controlled or high emissions) climate change will favor distribution of Acacia species in the country, except in the coastal area. In this regard, a technical report and guideline for awareness campaign are designed as part of this thesis to help disseminate information on priority species as well as the importance of Acacia sieberiana and Acacia macrothyrsa to targeted audiences. A Thesis submitted to the West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Education and The University of The Gambia in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Sun, 01 Nov 2015 00:00:00 GMT http://197.159.135.214/jspui/handle/123456789/106 2015-11-01T00:00:00Z