In order to address the challenges of food insecurity and poverty, the unsustainability of agri-food systems, and migration, many actors, donors, local elected officials, universities, research institutes, NGOs, local and international associations, producers, and farmers' organizations are committed to the defense of family farming through an agroecological transition in Senegal.  The Senegalese government has recently placed the agroecological transition among the five major initiatives of the Priority Action Plan of the second phase of the Emerging Senegal Plan (2019-2024).

The forum is intended to be a space for exchange and awareness on agroecology and family farming, primarily for actors in Casamance, but open to all persons and entities interested in supporting a sustainable alternative to the dominant agri-food system.

The virtual forum will take place through 2 meetings of 90 minutes each on Thursday, June 24 and Friday, June 25 from 9:00 to 10:30 (Senegalese time) on the following topics:

Meeting 1: Family farming and agroecology: pillars of improvement of living conditions and settlement of populations in rural areas.

Meeting 2: Tools for an agroecological transition: concrete cases, evaluation, a network of actors.

This forum is organized within the framework of the Project to support the decrease of migration through the creation of rural jobs in Senegal (PACERSEN-South East Component) financed by the European Union and implemented by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AECID) and the National Agency for Integration and Agricultural Development (ANIDA).

The objective of this project is to improve the living conditions of rural populations in order to reduce illegal emigration, to fight against poverty, and to support the resilience of the populations through the establishment of collective and individual farms (Naatangué Farm) in the regions with a high migratory potential in the Southern region of Senegal.