African women farmers are learning field techniques in Tenerife. And vice versa. A transnational project by the University of La Laguna (ULL), with the support of the Cabildo and the Gaston Berger University, located in Saint Louis (Senegal), establishes a bridge between the rural world of the island and that of the French-speaking country in the Black continent, precisely from the area whose port is usually the starting point for boats full of migrants to Europe, through the so-called Canary route.
Agrofem is the acronym for the Interreg-MAC initiative with European Feder funds, already concluded, and officially called Commercialization and valorization of agricultural products from Canary Islands and Senegal through the empowerment of women from the cooperatives in each region and the exchange of experiences. When looking back, its promoters speak of success in achieving the objective.
Three researchers from ULL, the lead entity of the initiative, were involved in this project. María del Carmen Marrero and José Manuel Cruz, from the Department of Classical, French, Arabic and Romance Philology, and Manuel Antonio González, from Agricultural Engineering.
Marrero explains that “it was born in 2019, but we had a halt due to the Covid-19 pandemic and we were granted an extension until the end, in late 2023”. The principal investigator of the project emphasizes that “the aim is to enhance both the value and the work of the women’s cooperatives in Senegal and rural entrepreneurs in Tenerife”, collaborators in this initiative.
Two-ways experience.
An experience of back and forth with training activities, both at the facilities of the Agricultural Engineering Section of the Tenerife University and in Senegal. The action served to empower about forty African women, teach them marketing strategies for their products and modernize cooperative activities. It had a funding of 353,000 euros. In African lands, 19 local women took part during the work carried out in three cooperatives in the area of the main river. In Tenerife, the delegation was composed of ten women, a teacher from the equivalent of the Agricultural Extension Institute and a teacher from the collaborating university. It was more challenging for them to come due to bureaucratic procedures, especially the long wait to obtain visas. The participants enhanced their commercial skills, as well as showing a great interest in improving their way of life.
Cooperatives.
In Senegal, the residents of Tenerife worked with three women’s cooperatives Ross-Béthio, Thilène and Balacoss in the Senegal River delta in Saint-Louis. One dedicated to rice, another to vegetables, and a third to the processing of cereals such as sorghum, millet or maize. Part of this group’s training took place at the university school itself. Among the results, it is worth highlighting the stays of two Senegalese PhD students at the University of La Laguna and another two from this academic institution who travelled to Gaston Berger.
Network.
One objective is to give continuity to the idea to consolidate the network of cooperatives and agricultural companies, as well as to set up another line of seed guardians with Senegal, expanding the scope to Ivory Coast and Mauritania. The balance is “positive but insufficient”, due to the high demand from the African cooperative members, in need of more training tools. Two research papers will be published this year on all of this. José Manuel Cruz points out that the participants have achieved a greater degree of autonomy in the management of the cooperatives. “These women have broken all standards, in a male-dominated society and in a sector, agriculture, where they are not protagonists,” he states. He concludes: “This very positive response makes us continue, because the commitment goes beyond the academic field”.
Meeting.
The meeting between women farmers from both shores took place through a fair sponsored by the Cabildo de Tenerife in La Laguna, with shared experiences in marketing and how to anticipate climate change. The goal: to establish connections, better promote products and gain more customers. The ten female farmers from the Saint Louis region participated in various activities over their eight-day stay on the island, where they acquired knowledge about the development of agriculture in Tenerife, as well as new techniques, machinery and work methods in the sector. All within the framework of the Women Farmers in Network initiative, promoted by the Cabildo and ULL within Agrofem.
Experience.
During their stay, the Senegalese farmers were able to learn about the extent of female-led agricultural activity on the island. Hence their visit to the Casmi Cooperative in San Miguel de Abona, the initial stop on the tour. Led by Ángela Delgado, the first potato cooperative in the Canary Islands served as a comparative example for the African women, accustomed to working in the sector through associationism and cooperativism. Pitaber, a pitaya farm in El Porís de Abona (Arico), was another of the companies that welcomed them. They also visited the Agricultural Training School in Tacoronte and the La Quinta Roja Estate in Garachico.
Two very different agricultural realities of the partners in a program whose axes and priorities are to promote research, technological development and innovation. A forum that was a space for the exchange of knowledge and experiences in agricultural biodiversity, with special attention to the fundamental role of women farmers in sustaining rural areas in both territories.
