Women lead agricultural and economic empowerment initiatives in Cameroon and Senegal

In Esse, Cameroon, women are leading efforts to preserve agricultural biodiversity through the Community House of Peasant Seeds. Supported by the Réseau des Acteurs du Développement Durable (RADD), these women are working to secure food sovereignty by multiplying and conserving local seed varieties. This initiative aims to protect traditional agricultural knowledge and ensure crops remain adapted to local ecological conditions against the threat of agricultural standardization.

In Dar Salam, Senegal, rural women are driving economic recovery following years of crisis. As security stabilizes in the Nyassia district, cooperatives are engaging in peanut production, millet milling, and agroforestry. To support this transition, UN Women provided digital tools, including laptops and phones, to help cooperatives manage their activities. Local leaders have linked this empowerment to the Plan Diomaye for Casamance and the Vision Sénégal 2050, noting that while progress is being made, challenges such as land access and the digital divide remain.