Most subsistence farmers in Senegal rely on rain-fed agriculture to feed their families, but with only one rainy season per year, climate change is dramatically impacting the reliability of Senegal’s growing season.
DIG’s program is based in Ziguinchor, the capital of the Casamance region in the south. In this peri-urban area, most of our participants are farming for the first time, many defying the odds of cultivating healthy gardens in sandy soil and salt water flats.
DIG’s first seeds as an organization were planted in Senegal from 2006-2008. New partnerships took us to East and Central Africa where we spent a decade refining our model. In 2019 DIG returned to Senegal through a collaboration with Rise Against Hunger, the University of Washington-Senegal Research Collaboration, and the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Fann.
In our return, our goal has been to deliver DIG’s nutrition-sensitive agriculture program to young mothers, people living with HIV, undernourished children, and other uniquely vulnerable groups in the Casamance region. Here, we have been rolling-out our program through the public healthcare infrastructure.
DIG has developed demonstration and teaching gardens at health clinics and direct to community groups all of which focus on three objectives; improving nutritional wellbeing, economic opportunity, and food security.
“My home garden connects me with my community. My house became a local market and people come there to purchase vegetables. It makes me well known. Some neighbors don’t have money to purchase the vegetable and I sometimes give them free for their household. This act strengthens our social relationship. I also trained some women in gardening and the community has experienced an increased interest in gardening.”
~ Dianke Camara, DIG Farmer
Seckou was trained in DIG’s Farmer Field School Program in 2019 and joined in 2020. Prior to joining DIG, Seckou was living and working in Senegal's capital, Dakar. Through his work, he started to become interested in community development and wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. Coming back to his birthplace, Ziguinchor, Seckou was eager to get involved in the community and joined DIG’s Farmer Field School. From farmer to facilitator, Today, Seckou is DIG’s Program Manager and leads our program in Senegal.
Anais joined DIG in 2006 as one of DIG’s very first team members! After DIG exited it’s first project in Senegal, Anais continued to garden and teach her neighbors in urban gardening while also supporting her community in other ways, getting certificates in Health Mediation for HIV/AIDS patients and others in at-risk populations. When DIG returned to Senegal in 2019, DIG called on Anias to help build our team. Today, Anais has supported our growth by leading Farmer Field Schools and training up additional facilitators. Anais now leads our Priority Household Nutrition Program as a Mentor Mother. As an mother to two adult daughters, Anais is a respected and warm mentor to mothers in our program.
Cherif joined DIG in 2020 when he learned about DIG through a Peace Corps Volunteer based in Ziguinchor. Prior to joining DIG, Cherif was a member of the Senegalese Army and later went on to work for a large fruit and vegetable producer, specializing in greenhouse construction and composting. Cherif returned to Ziguinchor to be closer to family. When he arrived, joined up with a few friends and began gardening on his own until joining DIG. Cherif now leads our Farmer Field School Program and provides continued mentorship to groups who have graduated from the DIG program.
Felix joined DIG in 2019 as a facilitator. On a journey home from college, he noticed all of the vehicles transporting vegetables from Dakar to the rest of the country. Seeing this, he left his corporate dream behind and was determined to make a change within his community through agriculture. Upon coming home in 2017, he joined a farming group and began to grow a variety of vegetables for sales. Today, Felix is a facilitator for DIG’s programs on the outskirts of Ziguinchor in the more rural areas.
A native of Ziguinchor, Souleymane joined DIG as a facilitator in 2020 after being trained in DIG’s Farmer Field School in 2019. Souleymane has an intense passion for serving the next generation in his community. Since 2003, Souleymane has worked as a volunteer educator for a student learning garden and was elected as a President of the Management Committee at the largest elementary school in Ziguinchor. He also is a member of the District Council. Souleymane is using his position in DIG and as a leader in his community to motivate youth to get excited about gardening and his fluency in three local languages helps DIG to partner with a diversity of people in the city.
Sadio is passionate about agriculture. He has studied agricultural management, agricultural business and economics, and animal and plant production through the Senegalese Institute for Agricultural Research. He did an internship in poultry farming, market gardening, and argroforestry at a regional teaching farm. Sadio also has a degree in Political Science and International Relations and like to put his IT skills to use.
Georgette joined DIG as a Mentor Mother to support our Priority Household Program in 2022. Georgette spent her youth in Dakar but now lives in Ziguinchor. In 2001, Georgette was a field officer for AfriCARE, working with communities. She also has held an internship in accounting, and now works as a Secretary for a local community group. Georgette learned about DIG in 2019 and did an internship with our program, supporting our Farmer Field Schools located in hospitals and clinics. Now Georgette works directly under our Priority Household Program, supporting women and families to address malnutrition at home. As a mother of four and a gardener, she’s excited to work with this important group.
Fernard joined DIG in 2022 to support our Priority Household Program. After graduating from DIG’s Farmer Field School in 2019 at one of the health post sites, Fernard was eager to continue his practice and support others. His favorite thing about DIG is that it provides a safer, chemical free option for families to grow their own produce while also saving money. Fernard spent his entire life in Ziguinchor and is excited to support women and families to address malnourishment through DIG’s Priority Household Program.
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Sensorial Handicap Cooporation
APRAN-SDP (Association pour la Promotion Rurale de l'arrondissement de Nyassia- Solidarité-Developpement-Paix)
Ministry of Agriculture/Ziguinchor Région
AJDK: Association des jeunes pour le Développement de Kande
