Guinea-Bissau is located in West Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean with Senegal to its north. The country’s total land area is 36,125 sq km, and is comparatively slightly larger than Taiwan, or about the size of the state of Connecticut in the U.S. Its climate is tropical, with a monsoonal rainy season and a dry season. Of the total land area, eight percent is utilized for cultivated crops, while another seven percent supports permanent crops such as fruit- and nut-bearing trees. Environmental issues facing Guinea-Bissau include deforestation, soil erosion and overgrazing. The country’s population is approximately 1.5 million, with 82 percent of the country’s labor force dedicated to agriculture. Financially, the country is one of the six poorest in the world and depends primarily on farming and fishing. However, cashew crops have increased markedly in recent years, and the country now ranks fifth in the world in cashew production. And although the country has deposits of petroleum, phosphate and other mineral resources, high costs of development have restricted further exploration. Guinea-Bissau’s other agricultural products include rice, maize, beans, cassava, peanuts, palm kernels and cotton. The North and West Africa Division is responsible for IFDC activities in Guinea-Bissau.
Current IFDC Projects in Guinea-Bissau
- Marketing Inputs Regionally (MIR Plus), 2009-2013
MIR Plus is improving policy and regulatory environments in the 15 nations of the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS). The project is increasing the use and efficiency of agro-inputs, improving the availability of technical and market information and using technology to link producers’ organizations with agro-dealers. The project links 2.23 million farmers to agro-dealers who will help train and supply the farmers. The project should increase maize and rain-fed rice yields by 20 percent for targeted farmers in Ghana and Nigeria, and increase irrigated rice yields in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone by 20 percent.
DONORS: Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), the Netherlands’ Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS)
Recent IFDC Projects in Guinea-Bissau
- Marketing Inputs Regionally (MIR), 2002-2008
The MIR project increased the affordability and accessibility of quality inputs for targeted smallholders in West Africa, and provided technical support and training for farmers and dealers. MIR developed regional and national regulatory frameworks, supported the advancement of farmer and agro-dealer associations, facilitated dialogue along the value chain and implemented sustainable development of the cotton agro-input sub-sector.
DONOR: The Netherlands’ Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS)
Guinea-Bissau Information
Guinea-Bissau Articles
MIR Plus (Taken from IFDC Report Volume 36, No. 2)