THE GAMBIA

ZERI Activities in Gambia

The ZERI Concept and activities were introduced to Gambia by the UNDP Resident Representative in the country, and through subsequent elaboration by the Director of ZERI Foundation in Geneva, Mr Gunter Pauli. A Multidisciplinary National ZERI Task Force has been constituted since February 1999, and has been meeting fortnightly since its initiation.
Gambia has great potential for ZERI and there are a number of programmes that can be incorporated into ZERI activities. The National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) has good laboratory facilities dedicated to serve as mushroom spawn production centre for farmers. NARI has also constructed a mushroom production house on its premises with committed staff to work full time on the promotion of the mushroom farming vision. The Appropriate Technology Centre has staff with sold experience on the production of clay-limestone compacted low-cost bricks for social housing construction, under the ZERI programme. Currently, the Centre uses simple machines to produce affordable bricks used locally. This process is slow and the ZERI vision is to employ faster machines manufactured from India, or elsewhere. The same principles can be used in the production of clay bricks uses sawdust instead of firewood, again demonstrating the great promise which ZERI offers to society. ZERI principles will be utilized to ensure that kilns are environmental friendly and do not generate a large amount of carbon dioxide.

Near the Gambia river estuary, there are extensive stands of mangrove vegetation, whose prop roots support a rich population of sea oysters. These bivalve mollusks are harvested to extract the edible fish, while the calcareous shells are dumped away. The calcareous mounds of these damped sea shells are often collected for use in road construction or burned to provide lime for use as house paints. Under ZERI principles, these mounds has great potential for use in the production of low cost clay-lime compacted bricks discussed above.

Other areas in Gambia which provide great to apply ZERI principles include the Banful slaughterhouse, where the production of biogas could be considered. The livestock horns which are discarded as waste could be creatively used in the production of furniture. Groundnusts shell waste can also be creatively used, given that groundnuts constitute one of the key cash crops in the Gambia. The huge mass of groundnuts often piled has the potential of being used as a substrate for mushroom production. The residue left after mushroom production could be fed t livestock, or to earthworms, which could, in turn, convert it into a valuable vermicompost, usable as an agricultural fertilizer.

The Government of the Gambia, strongly promote the Concept of low-cost housing. A site for promoting the initiative has been selected and few demonstration housed have already been builty on the site. The Government's vision in this regard is highly commendable. ZERI intends to collaborate in this programme and promote the use of Clay-limestone compacted bricks for use in the construction of the low-cost housed.

Other possible ZERI Programmes include the harnessing of Hypnea Musci formis found abundant along the seashore to become a marine cashcrop the country, and drawing lessons learnt from a peaceful ecosystem in Banful, where a family is reported to live by a pond with peaceful crocodiles of unique origin.

While all these ideas form excellent project areas for ZERI, it has been agreed to focus on only a few selected activities during phase one. Mushroom farming, and low cost housing using Clay-cement bricks are the key ZERI projects in the country.

General Information about Gambia

Capital city:
The capital city of Gambia is Banjul
Area:
The country covers a total area of about: 11,300 sq km`
Independence:
The Gambia became independent February, 18 1965 from UK
Population:
Estimated to be 1,411,205 People with estimated growth rate of 3.14% (as of July 2001)
Languages:
English is the official language, others include Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, and other indigenous vernaculars
Agricultural products:
The agricultural products includes: peanuts, millet, sorghum, rice, corn, sesame, cassava (tapioca), palm kernels; cattle, sheep, goats; forest and fishery resources not fully exploited