The Advocacy Labs and Innovation Ambassadors support them in influencing local and regional policies while helping them become mentors and sources of inspiration for their peers.
Transforming African Agriculture through Women-Led Innovation, Automation, and Global Market Integration.
Women make up 60% of Africa’s farmers, yet their progress is severely stalled by systemic barriers. Although agriculture is a primary employer in countries like Senegal, rural women face limited land ownership, fragile cooperatives, and poor market access.
Furthermore, a lack of mechanization causes massive productivity gaps, often leaving women with only a few hours of sleep per day due to heavy manual labor. Climate shocks exacerbate these inequalities; annually, female-headed households lose up to 8% more income to heat stress and flooding compared to male-headed households.
AgriFemmes addresses these challenges by shifting the paradigm. We develop locally-led innovations, equipping women with climate-resilient agricultural practices and cutting-edge digital tools. Our goal is to strengthen resilience, foster female leadership in agricultural associations, and ultimately transition women from subsistence farming to profitable commercial farming.
of Africa’sfarmersare women
financing gapfacingwomen farmers
productivity gap from lack of mechanization
extra income lost to heat stress annually
AgriFemmes combines climate-resilient agricultural practices with digital tools across three complementary pilots operating at different stages and geographies:
AgriFemmes aims to strengthen climate resilience, economic independence, and the leadership of rural women. Our three main objectives are:
Co-design tailored solutions with student engineers and rural women (e.g., weather sensors, smart irrigation tools, and SMS chatbots).
Provide seasonal, hands-on training in sustainable agriculture.
Strengthen women’s cooperatives, their advocacy capacities, and their role in agricultural governance.
The project leverages digital tools and climate-smart innovations to strengthen the productivity and resilience of women farmers. Co-creation labs bring together rural women and technology developers to design, test, and refine prototypes. These innovations are then piloted on demonstration plots to measure their real-world impact.
Participants receive hands-on training in soil regeneration, composting, drought-resistant crops, and water management. These sessions support the transfer of local knowledge and elevate women’s expertise within the agroecological transition.
The Advocacy Labs and Innovation Ambassadors support them in influencing local and regional policies while helping them become mentors and sources of inspiration for their peers.
Field-tested, co-designed agri-tech solutions that directly address the daily challenges of rural women.
Widespread adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices and sustainable farming techniques across target communities.
Robust, empowered women's cooperatives equipped with enhanced advocacy and leadership skills.
Long-term institutionalization of women’s leadership in local and regional agricultural decision-making.
Creation of a replicable framework for climate-resilient agriculture and digital inclusion that can be adapted across West and Central Africa.
