The goal of the project is to improve food security, nutrition and resilience of smallholder farmers to climate change in The Gambia. The project’s development objective is to increase agricultural productivity and access to markets for enhanced food security and nutrition and for the resilience of family farms and Farming Organizations.

ROOTS will be implemented in five regions: (i) Central River Region; (ii) North Bank Region; (iii) Lower River Region; (iv) West Coast Region; and (v) Upper River Region. Within these regions, 39 districts have been selected based on indicators related to poverty, vulnerability, remoteness, quality and scale of infrastructure, and harmonization with other donor-supported programmes. 

The direct beneficiaries of the project are approximately 40,000 households (over 10 per cent of the population), of which 80 per cent are women and 25 per cent youth and persons with disabilities. The project will also target microentrepreneurs, government staff in the relevant ministries, agencies and commissions, and the private sector.