Guinea-Bissau is located in West Africa and lies along the Atlantic Ocean between the latitudes of 10°59’-12°20’N and 13°38’-16°43’W. It is one of the world’s poorest and most fragile countries, has a population of about 1.8 million. Guinea-Bissau’s Atlantic Ocean coast is composed of an archipelago, the Bijagos, of more than 100 islands.Guinea-Bissau is endowed with rich ecosystems that help the primary sector dominate its economy and is the main source of employment. Economic growth reached 5.9% in 2017, largely reflecting high international cashew prices and good cashew production. However, economic activity has slowed down in 2018 due mainly to lower cashew production, caused by adverse weather, and declining cashew prices.
The country developed its Second National Communication under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and has a National Adaptation Plan of Action that has listed priority adaptation strategies such as an emergency strategy for supplying seeds and pesticides to compensate for food shortages, capacity building for farmers and their organizations, improved water management, sustainable development of agriculture, improved management of other natural resources, agricultural enterprise development, prevention and management of food crises and other natural disasters (e.g. early warning systems), and institutional reinforcement.