BANJUL - The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has funded $34 million to boost food security and income for rural areas in Gambia, officials said.

The NEMA Project, one of the biggest IFAD programs in the West African country, help small farmers, especially women and youth, to improve land and water management to increase rice and vegetable production, said Mod K Ceesay of Gambia's Economy and Finance Ministry.

The fund is aimed to sustainably increase food security and raise the income of smallholders, said Ceesay, top negotiator for the fund.

"The NEMA project is targeting all the six agricultural regions in the country and will focus on women and youth to enable them to participate more actively in development initiatives," said project coordinator Momodou Gassama.

Since 1982, IFAD has pumped hundred of millions of dollars in loans and grants to finance nine projects in Gambia, which relies heavily on agriculture.