Guinea-Bissau has a wealth of resources and an advantageous geographical location that is suitable for diverse agricultural production throughout the country. However, both the agricultural sector and the economy as a whole show hardly any changes. Economic growth has been slow and unstable for decades.

Drainage and Soils

The coastal area of Guinea-Bissau is however enclosed by a solid network of drowned valleys, the so-called rias. The Bafata Plateau (Bafata is a region in north-central of Guinea-Bissau which is crossed by the Gba River, that flows east to west through the northern half of the region and is navigable to the city of Bafata, thus the capital of the region) is drained by the Geba and Corubal rivers. The Gab Plain occupies the northeastern part of the country and is drained by the Cacheu and Geba rivers and their tributaries. The Senegal river basin's southern border includes the inner plains. The mature floodplain's stable elevation leads rivers to meander, making the area vulnerable to flooding during the rainy season.

Climate

Guinea-Bissau has a generally tropical climate influenced by the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), a belt of converging trade winds that circles the Earth near the Equator. There are two pronounced seasons: the hot, rainy season, which usually lasts from June to November, and the hot, dry season. April and May are the hottest months, and temperatures can reach the high 90s F (mid-30s C).

Diagram showing the temperature and rain of Bissau, Guinea-Bissau

Source: commons.wikimedia.org

Plant and Animal life

Guinea-Bissau’s three ecological zones namely, the tidal sounds, the heavily forested interior plain, and the savanna are home to remarkably diverse flora and fauna. In the coastal marshlands, aquatic and riverine birds such as flamingos and pelicans are very common, as are reptiles such as snakes, crocodiles, and endangered sea turtles. Lizards, gazelles, antelopes, monkeys and apes, parrots, hyenas, and leopards flourish in the plains and woodlands.

Cultivating resilient communities in rural Guinea-Bissau. Source: ifad.org

Agriculture, forestry and fishing

Guinea-Bissau is largely agricultural and offers good prospects for the development of forestry and fisheries. Foods produced for local consumption include rice, vegetables, beans, cassava (cassava), potatoes, palm oil, and peanuts (peanuts). Pigs, goats, sheep, cattle, and poultry are examples of livestock. Fish and shrimp are particularly important, as they are farmed for both internal and export consumption. Guinea-Bissau is extremely forested, with forests covering almost three-fifths of the country's land area. Most wood harvests are used for domestic fuel, but the country exports small amounts of sawn wood. Commercial exports of cashews, palm products, rice, peanuts, lumber, and cotton have long been vital in the economy of the country. However, Large portions of land are not cultivated, because of both the traditional crop rotation practice of slash-and-burn as well as a lack of agricultural credit and investment due to the political and military constraints. Sustainable agriculture in Guinea-Bissau has become vital to solving these problems. In 2008, a direct response to the crisis in the revitalization of agriculture and specifically rice production became priorities. Several regions within the country have suitable land for rice production, these lands however were uncultivated which caused citizens within these regions to fall into poverty, as they are isolated from other areas of food production.

Source: worldatlas.org

With new sustainable practices, rice production in these areas has now doubled. The European Union has also launched a funding program for the rehabilitation of 300 kilometers of roads in the region in order to enable more efficient freight transport. This problem has prevailed in the country for years but more sustainable practices and projects like that of the European Union are also vital to tackling the country’s climate change.

Sustainable agriculture in Guinea-Bissau

Source: borgenproject.org

Although Guinea-Bissau is known to be an agri-based economy, the coastline is also rich in fish and shellfish, and joint fishing ventures have been set up with Russian, Algerian, and Portuguese companies (with licensing for this fishing accounting for 40 percent of government revenue (1992-96). Overfishing and inadequate restrictions, on the other hand, have resulted in a reduction in fishing potential and the implementation of a European Union-backed modernization program that includes a quota system and increased maritime patrols. Guinea-Bissau also struck agreements with six other West African countries to cross-monitor fishing zones in 1996.

For over a decade, cashews have grown in importance in the country's economy, in terms of tax revenue, 95% of total export revenue comes from raw cashew and rural employment is 75% of rural households. The cashew tree was brought into the country by the Portuguese in the 6th century, but was not effectively developed until the mid-1980s hence the economy is now focused on the production and sale of raw cashew nuts. In 2013, cashew nuts accounted for 87.7% of the country's total exports which reflects a growth in the industry since the late 1990s. The country is currently one of the world's largest producers of raw cashew nuts and the cashew sector has become hugely important in Guinea-Bissau's economy. It is mainly grown by small-scale farmers in villages, and around 85 percent of the rural population is dependent on cashew cultivation in some way, on which addiction, crop failures, or harvests due to disease will affect hundreds of thousands of citizens.

In the case of non-Muslim ethnic groups like the Balanta, cashew production offers two different sources of income thus nuts and alcohol. The cashew wine made from the juice of the apple brings a higher income than the nuts in years of low prices.

Cashew orchards with close tree spacing and low undercover species diversity at Bafatá villages. Photos by Catarino & Monteiro. Source: researchgate.net

The most important characteristic of sustainable agriculture in Guinea-Bissau today is education. Non-governmental organizations like Agrisud International work with people in the country to promote and teach more sustainable practices. They have also worked with the government to make these practices public order. With continued support from international organizations and the government, agricultural practices in Guinea-Bissau will only continue to improve.

Agriculture is the most important industry in Guinea-Bissau and as such generates well over half of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Food self-sufficiency is the goal of several governments, with the main products being rice, cassava, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, sugar cane and tropical fruits. Rice production covers 30 percent of the arable land. The livestock has recovered from the political instability, with the number of cattle reaching 550,000 in 2001, high for a population of just over 1 million people. Although the first food self-sufficiency development plan was drawn up in 1983, food remained the bulk of imports in the late 1990s with cashew nuts production and importation on the rise over the decades.

Some factory hands working on the raw cashew nut   Source: uniogbis.unmissions.org

Source: uniogbis.unmissions.org

References

(1) African Union. 2014. “Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Gorwth and transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods” available online: http://www.resakss.org/sites/default/files/Malabo%20Declaration%20on%20Agriculture_2014_11%2026.pdf

(2) African Union. 2018. “African Union launches Africa Agriculture Transformation Scorecard” Press release, https://au.int/en/pressreleases/20180129/african-union-launches-africa-agriculture-transformationscorecard-aats-%E2%80%93

(3) Green Climate Fund. 2018. “Enhancing Livestock Resilience to Drought in Guinea-Bissau”.  Concept Note: BOAD.

(4) Campos, F. 2016. “Facilitando o financiamento competitivo para o setor do cajú”, Presentation at the 2016 Africa Cashew Alliance conference, Bissau, September 19-22, 2016

(5) Chivandi, E.; Mukonowenzou, N.; Nyakudya, T.; Erlwanger, K.H. Potential of indigenous fruit-bearing trees to curb malnutrition, improve household food security, income and community health in Sub-Saharan Africa: A review. Food Res. Int. 2015, 76, 980–985.

(6) FAO. FAO in the 21st CENTURY, Ensuring Food Security in a Changing World. 2011. Available online: http://www.fao.org/docrep/015/i2307e/i2307e.pdf (accessed on 14 September 2017).

(7) Pretty, J.; Bharucha, Z.P. Sustainable intensification in agricultural systems. Ann. Bot. 2014, 114, 1571–1596.

(8) Unnevehr, L. Food safety in developing countries: Moving beyond exports. Glob Food Security. 2015, 4, 24–29.

(9) Tropical Research Institute/Tropical Botanic Garden, Trav. Conde da Ribeira, 9 − 1300-142 – Lisboa − Portugal. University of Porto/Research Centre for Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Agricultural Campus of Vairão − 4485-601 – Vairão − Portugal.

(10) National Institute of Studies and Research – Complexo Escolar 14 de Novembro, C.P. 112 Bissau − Guiné-Bissau.

(11) Piaget Institute/International Center for Research on Epistemology and Transdisciplinary Reflection, Av. João Paulo II, Lote 544-2ª − 1900-726 − Lisboa, Portugal.

(12) Addisu, W. 2012. The overall Agricultural Development in Guinea Bissau: Read more: https://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Africa/Guinea-Bissau AGRICULTURE.html#ixzz7Ac5OZjyX