The various agricultural ecosystems in The Gambia are described in brief, and the richness of flora and fauna discussed. Indiscriminate cutting of trees without replanting, bush fires and mechanization of commercial crops have so far been much more destructive to the environment than has chemical control.
In the future one may expect more chemical control to be used in commercial crops, but probably not in subsistence cultures. With more commercial enterprises and less government participation, risks for the environment will probably increase.
The CILSS Integrated Pest Management Project (1983–1987) showed that it is possible to reduce yield losses without endangering the environment. IPM approaches can improve the methods of cultural and traditional control in subsistence cultures, and keep chemical control at a low level in commercial crops. Introduction of varieties which are tolerant or resistant to the most important pests, and biological control agents can be used for a number of crops. The system of surveillance, which was introduced for a number of pests by the CILSS project, should serve as a permanent basis for all control activities.