Located on the equatorial coast of Africa, Gabon is a country with a narrow coastal plain, a hilly rainforest interior, and savanna in the south and east.  Its population includes more than forty separate tribal groups, each with distinct customs and languages.  Gabon is a relatively stable country, with tribal boundaries less sharply drawn than elsewhere in Africa.  Gabon's economy depends upon natural resources such as timber, manganese and oil.  Today, oil accounts for much of the country's GDP.  Gabon's per capita income is four times that of most of sub-Saharan Africa.  Although oil has supported a sharp decline in extreme poverty, disparities in income allow a large proportion of the population to remain poor.

One natural resource not abundant in Gabon is food.   Traditionally, the people of Gabon have used slash-and-burn techniques to grow food in the rainforest.  Slash-and-burn farming is sustainable when the population density is low, as the rainforest will have time - thirty years or more - to recover before people return.  But traditional farming cannot support the explosions of population that have occurred in modern times.  Today, Gabon imports most of its food.

Gabon's oil prosperity is not permanent.  Low market prices have recently caused financial problems, and production itself is expected to deteriorate within a decade.   The Gabonese government is seeking to diversify its economy, to streamline and privitize government-owned industries, and to find other means of supporting its people.   Locally, people look to the rainforest to provide food.  A sustainable agricultural system capable of feeding Gabon's population would benefit both the country and the environment. 

Alison's immediate task as a Peace Corps agricultural volunteer is to develop, demonstrate and transmit farming techniques that do not deplete the soil.  Alison lives with and works alongside the inhabitants of Cocobeach, creating gardens that demonstrate how native food plants can be grown in a sustainable plot.  Such a significant change in farming methods requires many other changes within the farming community.   We hope that Alison's presence will help the Gabonese find a path that is beneficial to the whole of their society.

Stamps From Gabon

A Letter From Alison

A Detailed Map Of Gabon