Development of agricultural potential

In 2009, the new Government decided to incor-porate development and the promotion of inten-sive, sustainable and competitive farming into its strategic priorities. The country relies on its natu-ral heritage with its robust potential and quality international partnerships to achieve this, facili-tating the implementation of the inclusive green economy approach in the sector and boosting the structural transformation policy launched in the forest timber sector.

Gabon has a surface area of 267 667 km2, more than 85 per cent of which consists of equatori-al forest (hequatori-alf of it in its primary state). The forest cover of Gabon accounts for more than 23 mil-lion hectares according to the initial data from the current forest survey project. The country has

undisputed natural resources and good climate conditions, vast expanses of rolling green arable land and an environment conducive to the devel-opment of pastoral and fishing activities.

More than two million hectares are suitable for commercial crops such as coffee, cocoa, hevea and palm oil, which can be farmed in accordance with environmental standards. Already, major in-ternational groups, confident in these new outlets, have invested over US$ 1 billion. At present, the agricultural sector employs about 15 per cent³² of the working population, although it contributes only 4 per cent to GDP. Gabon produces mainly food crops.

Gabonese agriculture is:

ƒ A policy designed to promote the ex-ploitation and local development of resources;

ƒ An exploitable potential of 12.5 million hectares (three quarters of the forests are therefore exploitable);

ƒ Rain-fed agriculture: abundant and variable annual rainfall (1 803 mm per annum);

ƒ The redevelopment of cash crops for targeted farming;

ƒ The beginning of the industrialization of the agrifoods sector through the de-velopment of agricultural land and as-sociated logistical infrastructures (cre-ation of special economic zones, SEZ).

ƒ The Gabonese agricultural strategy is based on four priority areas of activity:

32 This information is an estimate based on the fact that the coun-try’s population is 80 per cent urban and 20 per cent rural. In Gabon, farming is a small-scale activity carried out by the rural populations;

however, the phenomenon of the rural exodus resulting from the development of various economic activities in the country’s main towns has considerably reduced the population of the rural areas.

ƒ The promotion of peri-urban agricul-ture, adapted to the needs of the pop-ulations, in an effort to reduce the im-portation of agricultural products and to establish food self-sufficiency;

ƒ The transition towards agriculture in the rural areas, using modern and di-versified technology;

ƒ the creation of a sustainable export industry that will create jobs: intensive farming will enable Gabon to become a country exporting agri-industrial prod-ucts fully compliant with agricultural and sustainable development stan-dards;

ƒ A policy of training, research and super-vision.

4.2.1 Support instruments for Gabonese agriculture

In order to contribute to strengthening food se-curity in Gabon, to the reduction of poverty and to increasing the share of agriculture in GDP, the Government has established a number of support instruments in the Ministry of Agriculture, Live-stock farming, Fishery and Food Security, such as:

ƒ The Gabonese development sup-port institute (IGAD), which in 2011 launched the project for development and agricultural investment (PRODIAG), 79 per cent of which was financed by a loan from the French Development Agency with 21 per cent from the Gab-onese Republic. The project is sched-uled to continue until 2015 and its ob-jective is:

- To build the capacities of private and associated actors of the prior-ity sectors in order to optimize the

sustainable development of the agricultural sector;

- To provide technical support for the creators of small and medium enterprises (SME) in the agricul-tural and para-agriculagricul-tural sector, given that national agricultural ac-tivity is structured around four (4) types of crops: market gardening, food crops, cash crops and fruit crops.

ƒ The agricultural food security and growth programme (PASAC), estab-lished to give agriculture a fresh boost by promoting increased investment in the sector and developing a proximity and assistance policy for farmers, with the following goals:

- To implement a national food se-curity programme (PNSA);

- To support the struggling agricul-tural exports rehabilitation pro-gramme (PREA);

- and to initiate and carry out an intensive agricultural production programme (PAPI).

ƒ A number of sectors are receiving assis-tance from FAO:

- In the context of the implementa-tion of a special food security pro-gramme (PSSA);

- In the regional food security pro-gramme (PRSA), an element in the system of prevention of and rap-id response to cross-border pests and diseases affecting animals and plants.

The country has been divided into five large agricultural zones, intended to guarantee the country’s food self-sufficiency. The medium and long-term corollary outcomes of this political and strategic choice are the creation of jobs, the redis-tribution of wealth and the diversification of driv-ers of the inclusive green growth of the national economy.

National agricultural activity is structured around four (4) types of crops: market gardening crops, food crops, cash crops and fruit crops.

Market gardening, food and fruit production is generally intended to supply the needs of the local market. The production of cash crops has experienced an upsurge since 2005 following the privatization of certain businesses and the alloca-tion of grants to the stabilizaalloca-tion and equalizaalloca-tion fund (CAISTAB) by the state authorities.

Since the agricultural company of Port-Gentil (Agripog) ceased to operate, market gardening production mainly from the peri-urban areas has been monitored by the Gabonese Development Support Institute, which is one of the instruments used by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock farming, Fishing and Food Security to stimulate market gardening, foodstuff and livestock farm-ing in the peri-urban areas. It supplies technical assistance to the creators of small and medium enterprises of the agricultural and para-agricultur-al sector. The Institute is para-agricultur-also involved in training farmers in market gardening, growing food crops and pig and poultry farming.

The Institute has intensified its activities since 2008. In 2010 this took the form of putting 400 trainees through the initiation module and also offering market gardening specializations. It also enabled 221 new 40 ha farms to be established.

Overall, the market gardening activity produced a total of 4 242 tons³³ and generated a turnover of 2.9 billion CFA francs.

33 IGAD agricultural statistics, www.agriculture.gouv.ga

Land under cultivation for food crops doubled in 2010 to cover 363 hectares. The country’s produc-tion greatly increased as a result of an increase in the number of trainees, resulting in a significant increase in turnover which rose from 500 million CFA francs³⁴ in 2010 compared with 454 million CFA francs in 2009.

4.3 Sustainable development of