The importation of rice is rising year- in and year- out while the national production level is declining annually despite donor intervention in the production of the staple. Rice is the major staple for Gambians with a per capita consumption of 117kg. The national requirements for rice in 2019 was 398,364 metric tons (MT) while the national production was estimated at only 22,706 metric tons (MT) or only 5.7 percent of the country's needs. This low production in rice indicates vividly that the country is far from being self-sufficient in rice production and has to rely on imports and aid to cover the over 90 percent deficit. Despite the fact that rice is cultivated in the upland, lowland and hydromorphic soils, mangrove swamps and in the tidal or pump irrigated lowland in all agro-ecologies, production and area cultivation has been declining. For example, while area under cultivation in 2000/2001 cropping season was 16, 700 hectares, production was 34, 100 metric tons. However, in 2006/2007 cropping season, area under cultivation declined to 15, 200 hectares and production as well declined to 15, 800 metric tons in the same year. What is gratifying to note is the fact that while area under cultivation increases, production declined miserably. For example, while area under cultivation in 2009/2010 was 32, 600 hectares, production was 49, 900 metric tons; while in 2014/2015 cropping, area under cultivation was 66, 280 hectares twice that of 2009/2010 cropping season, production decline to 46, 670 metric tons compare to 2009/2010 cropping season. This rise in area under cultivation characterised by declining production, raise the alarming bell of some form of constraints in the rice production sector. This is precisely the reason why Lamin MS Jobe, the former Director of Research at the National Agricultural Research Institute was approached to authenticate whether or not there are constraints in the sector. According to him, the Gambia possesses a range of suitable ecologies for rice production, namely rain fed upland, rain fed lowland, mangrove swamps and the irrigated swamps. However, he said the factors responsible for the low local rice production and declining land areas for cultivation are numerous and diverse and the reasons may vary from one ecology to another. The Upland ecology, he went on to say, has huge potential for increasing rice production in this country, area under cultivation for this ecology in 2006 was about 10,000 ha; 47,500 ha in 2011 and rose to 50,000 ha in 2013 (NRDS.2014). The former NARI Director of Research asserted that this shows the importance that this ecology has in the development of rice production in this country. Unfortunately, he said this ecology is characterized by low soil fertility, huge weed control requirement, and socioeconomic constraints such as encroachment by human settlements especially in the Kombos and the rural urban areas and stray animal pests. With regard to the lowland ecology (including irrigated swamps) Director Jobe said there is still huge potential for expansion in this ecology; there has been a lot of investment in this ecology. Jobe pointed out that there are much lowland ecology that has never been exploited and many sites that have been abandoned due to the many constraints in the ecology. Major among the constraints in this ecology is land development. "Difficulties and delays in land preparation result in serious delays in the required cultural operations in this ecology," Director Jobe stated. This in turn he went on to say, impacts negatively on yields and the turnaround time that will allow an effective double cropping. "As for the mangrove swamps, this ecology was the food basket of the country when farmers in this ecology will evacuate the old produce to make room for the new produce but unfortunately, this is the most hostile and difficult ecology," Jobe posited. He noted that soils in this ecology are generally very fertile but access is generally very difficult, land development difficult, in some parts of the country hippos are a major pest and the youth rural urban migration from villages with this type of ecology means that the women and old left in the villages had to abandon most of this ecology today. He said evidence of the above can be seen in the North Bank Bambatenda Farafenni road where all the fields are taken over by mangrove plants, Sarrakunda to Bambally mangrove swamps all taken over by aquatic weeds and mangrove. What needs to be done to address the rice problem? According to the Former NARI Director of Research, they have seen a huge potential for the upland rice cultivation but today the area under cultivation for this ecology will half of what it was in 2014. Therefore, he said that to address the declining the area under cultivation and low production, first of all, there is need to restructure and empower the farmer organisations in this country. "Local farmer organizations must be strong and vibrant; there ne