Guinea : agriculture sector report

Guinea is a nation with favorable agricultural possibilities that are currently underdeveloped. The variations in altitude and diversity of climate and vegetation divide Guinea into four natural zones: lower or maritime Guinea, tropical in climate and extending from the coast to the foothills of the Fouta-Djallon; Middle Guinea (Fouta Djallon), consisting of mountains, plateaus, and valleys; Upper Guinea and the foothills of the Fouta-Djallon, a savannah country of terraced plateaus; and Forest Guinea. The major constraints to agricultural development in Guinea include the neglect of the small farmer/producer, an absence of incentives to produce above the subsistence level, a lack of government extension services, and underqualified and underemployed civil service agricultural technicians, planners, and administrators. The small farmer has been severely hampered by the Government of Guinea"s (GOG) emphasis on collective rather than individual production. It appears that the GOG has no intention of making available the inputs necessary to increase small farm production. Furthermore, the small farmer is expected to deliver approximately 120 kg of produce per year (a production surtax) to the GOG at unrealistic prices. Despite these problems, the small farmer accounts for 83% of all agricultural produce in Guinea. The authors recommend that A.I.D. focus on projects which would increase the standard of living for small farmers, but would not increase agricultural production subject to surtaxing and marketing. Such projects would pertain to water supply, health, nutrition, housing, soil conservation, small plot vegetable gardening, etc. Topics covered by this report include agricultural policy and planning, political organization at the local level, marketing systems, agricultural production in the target area, socio-cultural factors, and changes in the role of women in agricultural and marketing.