"Being part of a cooperative has been very beneficial"
10th April 2024
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Habi Diarra lives in a small village called Bouanidiè in south-western Mali, a country where gender inequality is a major issue. Women and girls experience severe disadvantages in many aspects of life, including health, justice, education and access to land.
Whilst the Malian national land code provides equal rights for land ownership for women and men, men are usually the ones with access. She Grows was designed to support women in Mali to access land, implement effective land management practices and develop businesses using forest resources.
When we first met Habi, she was unable to save any income she earned. Joining a women’s cooperative means she now harvests produce as part of team, can access loans and sell her product for a better price. She is one of over a thousand women that we supported to improve her income through She Grows.
Habi's story: "Being part of a cooperative has been very beneficial for me"
Before the project began, Habi spoke of the daily struggles she faces as a woman, a mother and landworker: “I have very little time to work in my field. Like the other women in the village, I don’t have access to good soil and I have difficulty getting seeds in time.
"Men prioritise their fields and us women get access to the ploughing equipment very late. We are late to sow in our fields and by the time our crops reach maturity, the rains have nearly dried up."
And the impact of the climate crisis has been making things worse. She is now part of a women's cooperative where they work together to process and sell tree products that support them to gain financial independence.
“The collective work we engage in contributes to the funds," she says. "We also make a monthly contribution of 150 francs, and these funds are also placed in the cooperative's treasury. During the rainy season, we provide these funds as credit among the members so that each individual can pursue their activities and increase their income. For me, it has been a significant advantage.”
"The understanding [of the importance of trees] among community members, as well as within families, contributes to the prosperity of villages and households"
Habi took part in workshops between the women's cooperatives, village savings and loans associations (VSLAs), and local sellers, where the women were presented with different saving and banking services which enabled them to understand how to leverage credit so they can be independent and have control of their own finances.
Through the She Grows project, Habi was provided with the tools and training needed to grow her own business. She now knows how to process and market tree products like shea butter, and being part of a cooperative means she can sell her products for a better price, access loans, as well as having the support and community of other women in her village.
"For us women, trees are essential," she says. "We eat the leaves and the fruit. We sell them when production is good. I often use the leaves and the roots to care for my children.
"The future lies in the hands of my children. I genuinely hope for the prosperity of agriculture, and that the agricultural produce we cultivate yields high productivity."
