Sougou Penda Ngane | May 20, 2026
News Brief
In Senegal’s Kaffrine region, members of the Kaffrine Women Forest Association are restoring degraded land by planting local fruit tree species such as madd, moringa, and jujube. Through their “Fruit Wall” initiative, the women have planted more than 4,500 trees to improve soil fertility, protect crops, and generate income from processed fruit products. Supported by biodiversity organization Lion Rouge, the group says the project is strengthening livelihoods and environmental resilience while helping families adapt to land degradation and build a more sustainable future.
Under the blazing sun of Kaffrine, about 250 kilometres southeast of Dakar in Senegal, a figure moves slowly between rows of young tree seedlings. A hot wind lifts dust from the ground, a reminder of how dry and difficult the soil has become. All around, the landscape tells a mixed story: land that has grown poor over time, worn down by erosion and the slow advance of the desert, but also patches where young trees are beginning to take root and show signs of recovery.
Fily Traoré is a resident of Kaffrine and president of the Kaffrine Women Forest Association, which has about 60 members. In her field, she walks slowly, carefully inspecting a young jujube seedling as it grows Ms. Traoré says: “These plants are a promise of the future for us. We take care of them.”
Since 2004, Ms. Traoré and the women of her association have committed themselves to restoring degraded land in areas classified as forests while creating sustainable economic opportunities for local families. The women plant local fruit tree species such as madd, moringa, and jujube, which help fertilize and restore the soil. They also use the fruits and leaves for household consumption, and sell the surplus to generate income. Ms. Traoré explains that these species were chosen for their resilience and nutritional value.
The women named their initiative the “Fruit Wall.” In community nurseries, they sow, maintain, and prepare young seedlings before planting them during the national reforestation campaign, which officially begins each year in August. Ms. Traoré says, “In this region, where family farms struggle to survive, planting a tree is an act of courage and a bet on the future.”
The women of Kaffrine benefit from the support of Lion Rouge, an organization specializing in biodiversity protection in Senegal, which provides training to members on nursery management.
Lion Rouge has also built water supply systems and storage basins for irrigating the nurseries, installed solar panels, and funded the fencing of five hectares of land with barbed wire to protect the reforested areas.
The “Fruit Wall” project relies on the expertise of the women of Kaffrine. Ms. Traoré says, “We plant so that our children can harvest fruit and our land can regain its strength.” The Kaffrine Women Forest Association has already overseen the planting of more than 4,500 fruit trees.
Seedlings are also planted into the women’s individual farm plots to improve soil fertility on their farms. Moringa leaves are rich in nitrogen, potassium, calcium, and phosphorus, which improve soil quality when used as mulch or compost. Ms. Traoré adds that planting trees in fields creates natural windbreaks that protect crops from dry winds, provides beneficial shade for off-season vegetable crops, and helps retain moisture in the fields.
Fama Niang is a member of the Kaffrine Women Forest Association. She says that in the past, women depended solely on agricultural harvests for income. Today, thanks to the fruit from the trees, they often earn up to $9 US per day by selling processed products such as edible leaf powder and dried fruit. Ms. Niang says, “I contribute to my family’s expenses by paying my children’s school fees.”
In Kaffrine, these women say they are sowing opportunities and bringing life back to an entire community. But for this progress to continue and grow, the women are calling on authorities for more support. Because with every tree they plant, they are building a better future.
