With climatic, economic and social changes, poor farm households in The Gambia have tended to become more vulnerable. They face problems of multiple risks, including low, short and uncertain rainfall, price fluctuations, and variable access to markets and food, compounded by regular seasonal stresses, especially during the rains before harvest. To minimise risk and cope with stress their strategies include choices of cropping patterns, crop storage, reduced consumption, off‐farm work, asset disposal, and community and kinship ties. Interventions should be designed to reduce their vulnerability.