This text is part of the special International Cooperation section
Women farmers in countries in the South — particularly in Africa and Asia — are the most exposed and vulnerable to the harmful effects of climate change. However, they hold valuable traditional knowledge. To increase their economic resilience capacities and support their fundamental role in the adoption of agroecological practices, local organizations work with their local partners in West Africa and Chad, using a feminist and decolonial approach.
In the Bijagos archipelago, off the coast of Guinea-Bissau, collecting shellfish is becoming more and more difficult as the water warms. “It is an extremely important source of protein for island communities,” says Éric Chaurette, program manager at the Inter Pares organization. They must therefore find other solutions, by diversifying. » Part of the answer lies inland, in community gardens. The Feminist Climate Action project in West Africa thus provides for the installation of market gardening areas equipped with solar pumps, which will allow the ecological production and sale of vegetables by groups of women.
This is just one example among many others in Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau and Togo, countries in which the Quebec organizations Inter Pares and SUCO as well as their nine local partners are leading the initiative. . “West Africa is very affected by climate change, particularly in coastal and island areas, with rising sea levels and erosion,” explains Éric Chaurette. Major droughts and more intense rains over very short seasons create many challenges for populations. »
And especially for rural women, responsible for maintaining the gardens that feed families and fetching firewood or water. Although climate change makes these tasks more complex, they do not have access to spheres of power that would allow them to influence governance decisions or agricultural policies. “This is what feminist climate justice is all about, namely working with people facing the crisis, who already have the tools, and amplifying their voices,” adds Mr. Chaurette.
Agroecological practices
This support is fundamental on the ground to help women make themselves heard in a context of social tension linked to growing pressure on natural resources, according to Luana Pereira, communications manager for the project, based in Guinea-Bissau. “Women and young people suffer and remain poorer because of a patriarchal and gerontocratic social structure,” she says. We give them tools to be agents of change in their own lives. »
They are also trained in regenerative and sustainable practices such as agroecology, which promotes local resources. In Senegal, for example, the Apisen association works with women in market gardening, to integrate beekeeping into their production and diversify their income. Reforestation and protection of mangroves, valuable ecosystems in these regions, are also an essential part of the project.
“When the time comes to decide how a territory will be managed, women are often not very present. With an income-generating activity, they can have a greater role to play,” says Geneviève Talbot, SUCO Africa program manager. Many interventions will be carried out through local women’s economic interest groups (EIGs) and through the inclusion of young people at all stages of the initiative. Nearly 20% men will also participate, as these future allies will facilitate community acceptance.
Supporting the women of Mandoul
In Mandoul, a region which represents 10% of Chadian territory, the shift in seasons and extreme weather events strongly affect agricultural production, where food insecurity increases with land degradation and the proliferation of diseases, against a backdrop of tensions and intercommunity conflicts. This situation exacerbates problems particularly affecting women, such as illiteracy and illiteracy, poor access to basic social services, knowledge, natural resources, means of production, technologies, financing and markets. The Mission Inclusion organization will work with its local partner Lead Tchad to support 960 agricultural producers from 12 communities, as part of the Intergenerational Climate Resilience project.
They will be able to experiment with new practices in “field schools”. Practices developed by the Chadian Institute of Agronomic Research, in partnership with a Quebec university. “It’s a space to test, learn and create a ripple effect by demonstrating positive results,” emphasizes Laurence Caron, senior manager in the International Programming Department at Mission Inclusion. Agroecology, agroforestry, compost manufacturing and even the use of solar energy techniques will be put in place to help women improve their income.
“We will work with local authorities to popularize legal instruments to combat gender-based violence and to popularize good practices (in order to promote) access to land and, above all, control and security of land, testifies Colette Bénooundji, coordinator within Lead Tchad. » The beneficiaries — 90% women — will be trained in literacy, gender equality and social inclusion as well as green entrepreneurship, with the aim of helping them gain confidence and credibility within their communities. Young mothers or older women, all are affected by this intergenerational initiative.
Not with me without me
For Laurence Caron, feminist leadership is defined as follows: Not with me without me. “We put women at the heart of identifying problems and solutions, and we work with men and power holders to develop dynamics of positive masculinity in fairly traditionalist societies,” she says. It is women who are responsible for feeding the household, and who will suffer individual and community anger in the face of the effects of climate change. »
In the long term, the Quebec and Chadian partners have the ambition to inspire profound political changes thanks to this inclusive governance approach. Open dialogue with government authorities and village chiefdoms is a path towards greater respect for women’s rights. “For another project, in Peru, the national government took up a proposed agroecology method to scale it up,” illustrates Sébastien Vielmas, senior communications advisor at Mission Inclusion. That’s the greatest success we can have. » One thing is certain, the fight against climate change will not be done without women.
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