Issues
Climate change is a reality in the world and on the African continent. The climate emergency will force countries to change their economic model towards more sustainable production and consumption patterns. Faced with these issues, UN Women France supports UN Women, the United Nations agency for gender equality and the empowerment of women worldwide.
In West and Central Africa, UN Women is implementing its multi-year regional flagship programme “Empowering Women through Climate Resilient Agriculture”, which aims to eliminate the key genderspecific barriers that rural women find to access entrepreneurship and employment opportunities in the green economy sectors, with a focus on the agriculture.
Actions
In addition to the support provided for the development of the structure of UN Women France, Mirova Foundation has partnered for three years, to co-financing with the L’Oréal Fund for Women and Lagardère Travel Retail in favor of a field project for the economic empowerment of women farmers in southern Senegal.
The project is supported by UN Women Central and West Africa as well as local and regional partners, notably the regional development agency of Sédhiou. In the end, more than 2500 women will benefit from this project.
The rehabilitation of market garden areas, the modernization of equipment as well as training on climate-resilient products and techniques will help strengthen the entrepreneurial capacities of the beneficiaries as well as offering them new markets to sell their products. Moreover, the processing units are powered by renewable energies, particularly for drying fruits and nuts, and producing honey.
The project aims to eliminate the main gender-specific obstacles that rural women encounter in accessing entrepreneurship in agriculture, through four axes :
1. Improve women farmers’ access to productive resources, including land, water, energy, equipment and agricultural inputs.
2. Improve their financial inclusion and access to financial services, enabling them to invest in their livelihoods and businesses.
3. Improve their access to equipment and technologies and their capacities for value addition through the processing of agricultural products.
4. Improve their access to diversified markets for the marketing of their products, including through links with large buyers and through digitalization.
Key figures
Our support
- Multi-year partnership over 3 years
- Financial support (structural costs, campaigns and field project) – Grand Sponsor of UN Women France and UN Women
- Extra-financial support for the search for new sponsors
- Skills sponsorship with employees of Mirova’s Women Leaders and Diversity fund