Food Security & Gender Equality

Sustainable improvement of food security and gender equality of the population in the municipalities of Kédougou and Bandafassi through sustainable, intelligent and gender-sensitive agriculture in 5 villages.

Directly involved 600 people - including 375 women and people with disabilities - who work in agriculture, vegetable gardens, the processing plant for agricultural products or in the co-operative planned by KEOH. Indirectly involved, around 1,500 people (around 900 women and 600 men), i.e. around one tenth of the population of the five villages, benefit from the effects of the project activities.

In 2023, Kédougou had around 245,000 inhabitants with a low population density of 15 people/km². The population is very young - 47% are under 15. Most live in the department of Kédougou (55%), followed by Saraya (29%) and Salemata (16%). Despite fertile soils, ample rainfall, and rivers like the Gambia and Falémé that support agriculture, and rich gold reserves, development is limited by poor infrastructure - only 17.7% of the region has electricity - and restricted access to inputs and water, particularly in rural areas.Food insecurity is widespread, especially among women, youth, and people with disabilities. Climate change has worsened conditions through droughts, delayed rains, and severe floods—the latest in the Falémé being the worst in 30 years. Farmers lack fertilisers, irrigation, and equipment. High-value crops like mangoes, shea, and fonio are often underused or sold below value due to a lack of processing. Women are especially disadvantaged: they carry out most unpaid work, have limited and insecure land access, and depend on agriculture - mainly vegetable farming, poultry, and processing - where opportunities remain very limited.

• Promote sustainable agricultural production by improving access to means of production, particularly for women
• Raising awareness of women's access to land and other factors of production
• Supporting women in processing and marketing agricultural products in order to strengthen their economic participation and independence (particularly through functional literacy)
• Promoting healthy eating practices and increasing men's involvement in healthy eating
• Train beneficiaries in female leadership, positive masculinity and community decision-making within households
• Raising awareness and training women and men to adapt to the effects of climate change, including environmental protection measures, assisted natural regeneration and sustainable land use
• Promotion and distribution of energy-efficient stoves to reduce women's workload
• Rehabilitating degraded land, particularly that affected by gold panning, to restore agricultural viability and protect the environment