Assessing Farmers' Livelihood Vulnerability to Climate Change: A Case Study of Lower Niumi and Sabach Sanjal, The Gambia

In The Gambia, farmers primarily depend on rainfed agriculture and encounter significant climate vulnerabilities, including flooding and extended dry periods, which jeopardize food security and threaten their livelihoods. This study aims to evaluate the livelihood vulnerability of smallholder farmers in The Gambia by applying the Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) to compare two districts: Lower Niumi and Sabach Sanjal. These two districts represent a significant portion of the region characterized by a high percentage of households involved in agricultural activities. While Lower Nuimi is classified as a coastal region, Sabach Sanjal is situated inland; both districts are adversely affected by the impacts of climate change. The LVI is divided into the three main components of vulnerability identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. Data was gathered through household surveys involving 239 smallholder farmers, alongside key informant interviews with community leaders and Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) officials. The results indicate that Lower Nuimi exhibits greater vulnerability than Sabach Sanjal, particularly regarding food security, water, and knowledge and skills. Meanwhile, Sabach Sanjal faces significant challenges in health, social networks, and housing stability. The LVI-IPCC scores show that Lower Nuimi has a higher exposure score (0.374) than Sabach Sanjal (0.289), indicating its increased susceptibility to climate-related hazards. Both districts have similar adaptive capacity scores (0.406 and 0.403), reflecting comparable resilience to climate impacts. However, sensitivity analysis suggests that Lower Nuimi (0.338) is more vulnerable to climate change than Sabach Sanjal (0.295). Importantly, all farmers in Lower Nuimi (100%) and 98% in Sabach Sanjal depend on their family farms for food. Yet, only 2% and 18% of farmers in these districts, respectively, cultivate rice, the staple food of The Gambia.