The Quebec international cooperation organization Mer et Monde highlighted, alongside the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) and its partners, the economic empowerment of hundreds of Senegalese producers during an Open Day held this Thursday in Notto Diobass, in the Thiès region, in Senegal.
As part of the SAGA 2 project, the event highlighted the achievements of the Producers’ Field School (CEP), the delivery of certificates to FAO Villages and the celebrations surrounding the International Year of Women Farmers in Senegal. The project is made possible thanks to financial support from the Government of Quebec.
Committed alongside rural women “The government of Quebec is proud to support, alongside the FAO, initiatives that strengthen the resilience of rural communities in the face of climate change. This day concretely illustrates the impact of our partnership with Senegal and the capacity of women producers to sustainably transform their environment,” declared Julie Gervais, first advisor to the General Delegation of Quebec in Dakar.
“Training facilitators capable of transmitting these practices in turn is sowing a seed that will continue to grow long after the end of the project. The groups demonstrated remarkable commitment throughout the training cycles,” underlined Anta Seck, CEP master trainer.
“This open day is the culmination of several months of work alongside producers from Léhar and Diobasse. It concretely illustrates how technical support and capacity building translate into sustainable autonomy for rural women,” said Alimatou Camara, project manager at Mer et Monde.
More than 300 people also took part in this event, including the Singer and Ambassador committed to the cause of rural women, Coumba Gawlo Seck, the Governor of Thiès, the mayors of Notto, Pambal and Oudalaye, the Representative of the FAO in Senegal, the General Delegation of Quebec in Dakar, as well as representatives of the Ministry of the Environment and Ecological Transition, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Livestock and decentralized technical services.
About the SAGA 2 projectFrom 2023 to 2027, the FAO “Food Security and Agriculture: Accelerated Adaptation” (SAGA 2) project supports the implementation of adaptation to climate change for food security in Côte d’Ivoire, Haiti and Senegal. Implemented thanks to a technical and financial partnership with the government of Quebec, it mobilizes a multi-stakeholder approach around four components: political support, support for producers, research and knowledge, awareness and advocacy. In Senegal, in the Thiès region, the project is implemented by the NGO Mer et Monde through the initiative “Si At.