In Popenguine, Senegal, a large meeting recently brought together all the women from the market garden with a shared goal: to rethink the organisation of the greenhouse in order to improve the management of the nursery and revive seed production. This initiative follows a difficult period marked by a water shortage that severely slowed down activity and undermined the collective effort for several months.
Over two days, discussions took place in an open and participatory spirit, with the support of Nebeday and The Ivory Foundation. They enabled the objectives to be redefined and brought about a fundamental change in the way this collective activity is managed.
From now on, the women, organised into eight groups, take turns according to a rotating schedule. Each group appoints two representatives responsible for watering the plots and monitoring the nursery, thereby ensuring continuity in maintenance throughout the week.
To support this new structure, a number of simple tools have been put in place: a schedule displayed at the entrance to the greenhouse and regular attendance checks. A weekly meeting has also been introduced every Tuesday, attended by the Nebeday teams and two women from each group. These meetings not only help to coordinate activities, but also provide opportunities for themed training sessions, particularly on seed production.
The nursery has also been expanded to provide seedlings for all participants. A clear rule has been established: the strongest seedlings are prioritised for seed production, whilst the others are distributed among the women for their individual plots, ensuring both quality and fairness.
This collective effort marks an important milestone for the project. It demonstrates the ability of the women of Popenguine to organise themselves, adapt to constraints and work together to build sustainable solutions for the future of their market gardening activity.
