Planting Seeds of Change: Women farmers from West Africa and Canada on tour

In September, Inter Pares welcomed seven feminist leaders from West Africa for an agricultural learning exchange. Over 10 days, counterparts from Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Togo, Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire engaged with farmers, activists and policymakers from across the Estrie region of Quebec, Montreal and Ottawa on gender equality and agroecology—a holistic approach to agriculture that works with our environments, cultures and local traditions to produce sustainable food.

For our counterparts, the tour was an opportunity to see firsthand how farmers in Canada, like Maude-Hélène Desroches from Les Jardins de la Grelinette, an organic micro-farm, apply agroecological principles in a different climate and socio-economic context. Visits to organic farms, cooperatives and seed-saving initiatives sparked exchanges on soil regeneration, biodiversity and farming tools that reduce the physical burden of farming—an issue particularly relevant to women farmers in West Africa.

Beyond the fields, counterparts met with local officials and allies, discussing shared struggles: corporate control over seeds, climate change and barriers
women farmers face in accessing land and resources. At a public forum with Vigilance OGM, a Quebec-based counterpart, our West African guests explored strategies to counter corporate control over food systems. Their stories of women-led farming cooperatives resisting land grabs and restoring traditional farming practices resonated with Canadian farmers in attendance, many of whom are fighting similar battles.

“These struggles are common to both North and South,” said Pauline Ndiaye of Enda Pronat, our Senegalese counterpart. “Each of us draws inspiration from the other’s best practices.”

Some of these powerful discussions are featured in a podcast series recorded with Les Agricoles, where women from the delegation shared their leadership journeys in agroecological movements and the gender barriers they continue to challenge.

Despite geographic and cultural differences, rural women and small-scale farmers across the world share common struggles and solutions. By exchanging strategies, challenges and successes, the tour strengthened the global movement for food sovereignty and gender equality. These conversations remind us that agroecology is not just about farming—it’s about transforming societies, one field at a time.

Transformative change requires long-term support.

Monthly gifts are the best way to ensure a stable stream of funding to help our counterparts plan for the future – no matter the context. Become a Sustaining Donor today.

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Inter Pares acknowledges Global Affairs Canada for their financial support for this program.