Boosting a women's market garden

 

Topics

Climate smart agriculture,
Communities development

Situation

1999 - 2005. Siné Saloun area, village of Campement (near Latmingué), Senegal, collective market garden with 120 women – 1200 beneficiaries.

In the local tradition, women had no possibility to access land, except if they were grouped. Each village had its women market garden, the plot is given by the chief of the village; more or less far from the well.

The very drainy sandy soils with low fertility made it difficult to cultivate plants already disadvantaged by the difficult access to water.

Problem

The women's group plot was far of the water point. The soils were little fertilised. Productions were not protected from pests. Results were very weak.

Implemented solutions

• Training of technical leaders in climate-smart agriculture.
• Implementation of composting areas close to homes, in order to be able to water the composts with the water from domestic tasks (washing dishes, children's baths,…).
• Implementation of straw-mulching on the cultivated land with the aim of reducing the need to water.
• Implementation of breakwind around the plot and nurseries for the dry season.
• Work with a development partner to pay the 3 technician of the programme.

Results

• Yield increase: after 3 years, the garden produced enough to feed the families and extras were left for selling in the local market. With this money the women purchased 5 calves and 6 sheeps and started a husbandry activity in parrallel to the market garden. They were also able to equip the group with tools for farming, and individually purchase goods for their families (beds, matelas, clothes…).
• Seeing the good results, the village chief allocated another plot at the end of the second year (larger than the first one) closer to the well.
• The group of women became independent and paid their 3 technicians directly in kind, after three years of functioning