Burama
That is neomalthusian narrative. Population growth is always use as the cause and the results factor is negated. The results to resource degradation is beyond demographic narrative of population growth. We are an agrarian economy and so depend on natural resources for livelihoods. Poverty nexus land degradation is was negligent and population growth always take a center stage and becomes the dominant thesis.  Do you look into international political economic issues such debt and its impact on mortgaging our natural resources in servicing debtors.  Lack of fair trade and it's association poverty natural resources uses etc.

Date: Fri, 30 May 2014 05:23:42 -0400
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: What's Our Make-up & How Was/Is It Managed
To: [log in to unmask]

Abdoukarim

Gambia is considered one of the overcrowded nation by all estimators including WHO’s

Having 1.7million on about 11000 sq. km = 155 people/sq. km. Considering not all of the 11K is not land - some water, some forest, roads, etc is highly dense.

Gambia at one time (some times in the 90s) used to be the fasted growing in the sub region. Not only due to natural birth but also the subregional conflicts contributed to that trench

Estimates (WHO 2010) - 55% are living in the urban area - that means we are not symmetrically spread over the nation.

Multi- factors contributed to resources degradation (resources in the broader sense) - some natural and others human. I can still try provide studies/sources that said so.

I just stated few stats and never suggest Mathusianism, others and/or otherwise.Put it simply I never suggest we control people in favor of resources.

In fact I asked question whether our poverty was a given or mismanagement.

Thanks for your input.

Burama



On May 30, 2014, at 4:17 AM, abdoukarim sanneh <[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Neo-malthusian framing of over population is very wrong.  Poverty and political economy is the cause of resource degradation. Gambia is not an over populated country. 

Date: Thu, 29 May 2014 23:27:47 -0400
From: [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: What's Our Make-up & How Was/Is It Managed
To: [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]

Demba, the Burama I know does not take no for an answer but i will advice that we narrow the focus of the discussion and take on  population, land water, economy and governance separately, if we are to be effective.
  
Some will argue that if you deal with governance the rest will fall in line. 
Jefferson put it nicely when he said we are all endowed with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  

Even China had to adopt these principles (yes in baby steps) before they became the world's factory. 

IMalanding Jaiteh


-------- Original message --------
From: Demba Baldeh 
Date:29/05/2014 20:37 (GMT-05:00) 
To: [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask] 
Subject: Re: [G_L] What's Our Make-up & How Was/Is It Managed 

Interesting questions Burama. I guess with the land, population density, agriculture, forestry etc.. Dr. Jaiteh can help us. Him and I had a similar discussion that looked at our overpopulation, agricultural land and erosion. He is with us here and may have done some modern approach research into such data... Dr. can you help us with some insights? These are good observations... For me we are poorly managed but record keeping, reliable statistics are an epidemic problem. 

It would be interesting to look at population, resources vs economic development. China comes to mind with over a billion people but their economy and standard of living continue to improve.. Yet there is arguably no Democracy in China.. How do we reconcile those contradicting approaches... Does a nation have to have Democracy and them to develop? How about human rights? Interesting and stimulating questions..

Thanks

Demba 


On Thu, May 29, 2014 at 7:52 AM, Burama Jammeh<[log in to unmask]" target=_blank>[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Estimates has it that at the dawn of independence we were less than 1/2 million people. Today extrapolated estimates put us at 1.7million people. Estimated average density of about 125 people/km

Area - about 11K sq. km
Water surface - 1300 sq. km
Rainfall - about 800-1000mm

Human capital - high school? Undergraduate? Graduate?

Foreign financial/cash aid ?
Foreign food aid ?
Foreign developmental aid including NGOs ?

Forest cover - 4800sq.km this includes shrub and savanahs in 2010. Substantially more even in late 70s. Still waiting for someone at the Dept. on the earlier numbers. 66 national parks with 34000ha

Agricultural land - 6650sq. Km

Notice that there are overlaps in the area estimates water + forests + agriculture leaves nothing for settlements. That's understandable from classification but settlement areas is a significant land use that should stand alone. 

Estimates indicates 55% of all Gambians live in the urban area. If urban area is GBA which excludes Brikama we are in serious trouble. Regardless we are already in serious trouble. The answers are in the health statistics -  WHO estimates of 2010. 

Economic data / formal and informal sector.
Government formed the bigger chunk of the formal. Bad record keep if any. How is the informal sector captured is everyone's imagination - tailors, carpenters, cottage industries, agriculture, etc.

Social statistic - population, birth, dead, vehicles, passports, ID, etc.

How are decisions made? Have you ever listen to the famous finance minister budget speeches with impressive numbers of growth? I would estimate an average of 3% growth since I started following. How then are we so poor? Why then the economy essential excludes larger portion of our people? You can ask 1 million questions!

Can we manage a nation democratically without fact based information? Imagine if you remove a registration place from a 2014 white T/Corolla and place on another of the same specifications. How can we tell which one it belongs? How many of us has multi passports or IDs without any reference to the earlier issues? The same is true for birth records. No record of dead as far as I know.

We have a systemic problem and not a person problem. It can only be fix by cultural reorientation and not simply reshuffling the deck of cards.

Are we after all POOR or Poorly MANAGED?

I simply have an idea on the how.

Regards

Burama
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