Rural women ring in change in West Africa

Across West Africa, rural women are showing that small-scale agriculture isn’t just the foundation of sustainable global food systems – it’s an avenue for economic, social and political empowerment.

Meet three women who are leading their communities towards a more prosperous and equal future.

When Anta was growing up, it was customary for young women to leave their homes in Ngoudiane to find domestic work in Dakar, the Senegalese capital. Anta describes it as “miserable work”, but Ngoudiane’s young people saw no alternative at home.

Back then, Anta could not have imagined that she would make farming a viable career. But that is exactly what happened when the IFAD-supported Agri-Jeunes initiative trained 14 young women, including Anta, to build a farming business.

At first, their neighbours laughed, saying the trainees were old-fashioned and the profession of farming would consign them to poverty. But Anta was undeterred. “We say to ourselves that poverty is not something that we cultivate, it is a state of mind,” she says.

The young women developed a business plan and received start-up funding of 630,000 XOF (US$1,000). They invested it in improving their shared plot of land and bought seeds to grow peppers, onions and other vegetables. After the first harvest, they reinvested in a second crop, reaping a profit of 102,000 XOF (US$162). The scepticism from their neighbours subsided.

Now, with multimedia training, Anta and her friends are making YouTube videos to market their produce and show the rewards of farming – for farmers and for their communities.

“Why not stay here in your territory or here in Senegal to work the land? Because

the land does not lie,” Anta says. “We believe this can change our village and can also change the world.”

Like many young people, Dorothy struggled after completing her degree. Despite coming from a farming family, she couldn’t find a job in her specialization of agricultural engineering. It didn’t seem like farming could be a viable business.

But in 2016, Dorothy discovered the IFAD-supported Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), which aims to create rural prosperity and food security in Nigeria by building value chains for key crops such as rice and cassava.

Dorothy leapt at the chance to build on her existing qualifications in the field she loved. With training provided through VCDP and a half-hectare plot, she learned how to produce rice seed that has been certified for quality. While certified seed requires upfront investment, with the right planting techniques, it can more than pay for itself through increased production.

To persuade local farmers to make the investment, Dorothy started giving seed out for free. The farmers tried it and saw their production multiply. In 2018, she sold her first crop of certified rice seed. She has never looked back.

Today, Dorothy runs a successful agribusiness. She not only produces her own seed, but also outsources to other farmers, providing them with supplies and training to cultivate certified seed. She buys their crop at a pre-arranged price and everyone profits.

“When I look at my farm, I see and connect with nature – God’s creation,” she says. “I consider the soil’s fertility and how it will nourish my crops. I visualize the production demand I will be able to meet, having always in mind that there is a population here that needs to live without hunger.”

When Fatima was 17 years old, her dreams were brutally shattered. While still a child, she was forced into an arranged marriage and subjected to domestic violence. Eventually, she took the courageous step of leaving the relationship, taking her two children with her.

After Fatima remarried, she started cultivating her in-laws’ rice field in the coastal Quínara region of Guinea-Bissau. But like other rice fields in the area, her land flooded regularly and was often uncultivable.

One day, her village chief learned of the IFAD-supported PADES project and its work in rehabilitating rice fields to increase agricultural production and ensure food security. Desperate, the villagers decided to send a delegation to the PADES headquarters to ask for help. One member of that delegation was Fatima.

In 2019, the village rice fields were rehabilitated with PADES support. Water management systems were installed to prevent flooding, and a rice field management committee was set up so that farmers could learn to maintain the systems along with good agricultural practices. Fatima became a member and, within two years, was elected chair.

Since then, Fatima has led the village in managing its water and fields. Under her leadership, the rice fields have gained a new lease on life. She is also an inspiration to the village’s women and a fierce advocate for educating girls.

“Being in a decision-making position within the rice farmers' association has allowed me to rebuild my life and heal the emotional wounds caused by having to leave school at 17. I've regained my self-esteem,” she says.

Women are the backbone of rural societies in West Africa, yet they’re often excluded from economic opportunities and leadership within their communities. Dorothy, Fatima and Anta’s stories show that, with the right financial and technical support, they can take their rightful place as agents of change in their communities and beyond.