As in most African countries, and despite rapid urbanization, the agricultural sector is the main source of employment and income for the people of Senegal. But in rural areas, local shop stewards emphasize that income from agriculture does not eradicate poverty.
Fadel Diop:in reality, the potential for family farms is not really developed and that is why even though agriculture is the main source of income for rural households, this activity does not succeed in pulling these families out of poverty. 75% of poor households in Senegal live in rural areas and 58% of rural households are poor according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
Agriculture is still a bit mechanized. The hoe, seed drill and trolley are the most important agricultural equipment. Modernization of practice is therefore very slow or even non-existent in some regions. Cultivated areas are on average less than 5 hectares per year, which is low. In the peanut basin, the average total income per farm is just over 700,000 FCA per year, while each farm supports an average of 10 people.
Also note the inability to link agricultural production to small processing industries. In the countless mango plantations in the country, a huge number of mango rats of excellent quality happen every year, which are not marketed or processed. Senegal converts only 13% of its agricultural production.
RFI: Modernization of the agricultural sector is one of the flagship projects for “Emerging Senegal Plan»Implemented by the government. The population believes in the development of the agro-industry?
Fadel Diop: It is true that the government is setting up agropoles, that is, food processing centers. There will be three: one in the south, one in the middle and one in the north. National and international companies will be able to find an incentive framework, infrastructure and shared services.
The population hopes that with the sectors that will be introduced, young people and women will get more jobs and more income. Young people in particular are increasingly moving from agricultural areas to urban areas because they do not believe that they can support themselves by practicing traditional agriculture.
One of the local elected representatives that WATHI interviewed in Diourbel, Malick Ciré Sy, reports that 27 villages have been wiped off the map because all their inhabitants have moved to Touba, a religious city but also a major economic center of the country.
RFI: Will the presence of agropoles lift a large number of Senegalese people out of rural poverty??
Fadel Diop: The existence of agropoles will certainly promote the development of agricultural value chains. However, close monitoring of farmers and realistic spatial planning policies will remain crucial for families to earn more from the agricultural industry.
Farmers can be real entrepreneurs. But for Mamadou Lamine Sora, from the branch council in Bignona in the south of the country: “The state is talking about it but supervision is still low. For better monitoring, you need to know which crop to grow depending on the season. Agricultural techniques must be recruited and they must be very close to the rural population to monitor them, see the development of crops, the seed species and the way they sow rice, millet, peanuts and seeds. Other cultures. “
Agriculture is not a skill that is transferred to local communities, but local elected representatives believe that they can contribute a lot by helping the state to have a good knowledge of family farms that correspond to rural households in their territories.
► Interviews with local elected representatives are published on the website www.senegalpolitique.org as part of the partnership between WATHI and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
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