Agrofem is the acronym for the transnational Interreg-MAC project 'Marketing and enhancing the value of agricultural products from the Canary Islands and Senegal through the empowerment of women in cooperatives in each region and the exchange of experiences'. The final results of this initiative, led by the University of La Laguna, in collaboration with the Tenerife Island Council and Gaston Berger University in Saint Louis, Senegal, were presented today.
The researchers involved in this project were Carmen Marrero and José Manuel Cruz, from the Department of Classical, French, Arabic, and Romance Philology, and Manuel Antonio González, from the Department of Agricultural Engineering. This initiative has empowered approximately forty African women, teaching them marketing strategies for their products and how to modernize their cooperative activities.
With funding of €353,000, the project was slowed down by the pandemic and had to be extended for another year. During this time, several training activities were carried out, both at the university's Agricultural Engineering Department and in Senegal, enhancing the business and communication skills of these women, who, according to the researchers, showed a tremendous interest in improving their lives.
A moment from the visit to the Agricultural Engineering facilities.
Thus, they worked with three cooperatives in the Saint-Louis area: one dedicated to rice, another to vegetables, and a third to processing cereals such as sorghum, millet, and corn. Part of the training for this group also took place at the university itself, as mentioned, and not without significant difficulties in obtaining travel visas and completing all the bureaucratic procedures, the researchers explained.
The project has concluded with tangible results, including research stays for two Senegalese doctoral students at the University of Laguna and two more from this academic institution who traveled to Gaston Berger. Nevertheless, the researchers intend to continue the project next year to consolidate the network of agricultural cooperatives and businesses and establish another network of seed guardians with Senegal, expanding its reach to Ivory Coast and Mauritania.
This is because, although the results were positive, they are entirely insufficient, they acknowledge, due to the high demand from African cooperative members, who need more training tools. Two research papers on this topic will be published this year.
Classes received at the ULL.
José Manuel Cruz also notes that those involved in this project have achieved greater autonomy in managing their cooperatives. Furthermore, a meeting took place between female farmers from Senegal and the Canary Islands at a fair sponsored by the Tenerife Island Council, where they shared experiences in marketing and how to anticipate climate change. The ultimate goal is for them to establish connections, better promote their products, and reach a wider customer base.
The first training session, held in Senegal, benefited around twenty female farmers, while the second, at the University of La Laguna, provided new knowledge to a total of 17. “These women have broken all the molds in a male-dominated society and in the primary sector, where they are not the main players,” says Cruz. “This overwhelmingly positive response motivates us to keep going, because it’s a commitment that goes beyond the purely academic.”.
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