Challenges and opportunities for farming in Senegal

Despite adverse production conditions, Senegal's agriculture sector is an essential employer. Janine Ryan looks at some of the major commodities produced in this West African country.

- Janine Ryan

Senegal is located in the drought-prone Sahel region of West Africa, and has a population of roughly 17 million people. Despite unfavourable weather conditions for agricultural production, around 77% of Senegal's working population is employed in the sector, which contributes around 15% to the country's gross domestic product (GDP).

Senegalese agriculture is dominated by dryland production, with only around 5% of land under irrigation, and most of the country's producers are subsistence or small-scale farmers.

The primary food crops grown in Senegal include millet, rice, maize and sorghum. Cash crops grown there include groundnuts, sugar cane and cotton; and horticultural crops include melons, mangoes, green beans and tomatoes. Despite this wide variety of crops under production, Senegal remains a net importer of agricultural products, importing around 70% of its demand. Top imports include rice, wheat, maize, palm oil, sugar, potatoes and onions.

The Casamance region is the country's most important for agricultural production, but a lack of infrastructure is hampering its expansion.

Senegal exports gum arabic, and artisanal fishing, mainly for the local processing market, is one of the country's most important economic resources and earners of foreign exchange.

FISHING

Senegal's coastline is around 530km in length, and its fishing industry is an important earner in the extended agriculture sector.

Industrial fishing includes sardines, tuna, and the trawler harvesting of shrimp, sole and cuttlefish. Artisanal fishing remains the most important segment of this industry, however, with seafood bought by local factories for processing.

The fishing industry accounts for 3,2% of the country's GDP, 10% of Senegal's total exports, and 17% of its employment. The primary and secondary fishing industries employ around 600 000. Seafood is also an important staple in the diets of Senegalese people.