Increasing the agricultural production of women in the Casamance

The overall objective of this agricultural project, which is being implemented by HOPE’87 with financial support from the City of Vienna, is to contribute to the achievement of SDG2 “Eradicate hunger, ensure food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture” in Senegal.

The specific objective of the project is to contribute to the improvement of an efficient, safe and quality food production system for women in the communities of Mampatim and Medina Cherif in the department of Kolda, Casamance, by developing sustainable livelihoods that are resilient to the effects of climate change. The project essentially targets women living from rainfed agriculture, which is under the influence of climate change, resulting in a drop in agricultural production despite the efforts made by partners in this sector. The effect of climate change in Senegal is not only due to low rainfall and the short rainy season but is mainly the result of the inter- and intra-annual irregularity of rainfall (around 35 to 45% according to statistics from the National Agency for Civil Aviation and Meteorology (ANACIM) from October 2022) and the shortening of the duration of winter. Due to this vulnerability to climate change, the problem of food security remains, making the country highly dependent on imports and food aid to cover the nutritional needs of its population.

It is in this context that HOPE’87, with the financial support of the City of Vienna, contributes to improving food security and the fight against poverty by proposing interventions that are likely to encourage the introduction of new short-cycle seed varieties, which in turn offer real opportunities to increase agricultural productivity in the south-eastern zone of the country. The projects beneficiaries are women producers in the valleys, lowlands and plateaus, who have little chance of emerging from precariousness without decisive support at the start and a method of organisation ensuring sustainability. Through the project, they are provided with an appropriate strategy for the promotion of good cultural practices and their relationships with input suppliers is being strengthened.