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Gender Equality

Initiatives Supporting Women and Young Women

UPA Développement international is committed to supporting women and young women in their journey toward greater economic and social equity, as well as enhanced resilience to climate change.

In addition to projects carried out in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean that support 14,620 women and young women, Réseau Agro-Innov’s thematic funds dedicated to women’s entrepreneurship reach 2,929 women across Benin, Haiti, and Senegal.

In total, 17,549 women are directly supported through our initiatives.

Profile: Sylvie Kassongo

Mrs. Bobodo Sylvie Kassongo Sama is an inspiration to women farmers and those aspiring to start a career in agriculture. As the head of the Benewende plantation in Burkina Faso, she has dedicated herself to training women and youth for many years.

Having developed a passion for agriculture while growing up on her father’s farm, she pursued despite land access being traditionally reserved for men. Her modest banana plantation quickly expanded into a 70-hectare farm that has already trained hundreds of women and young people from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Togo.

It is her love for farming and sharing her experience that motivated her to get involved. Sylvie is determined to continue passing on her passion for agriculture and to make the Benewende plantation a destination for learning and sharing experiences, with the hope of helping to promote agriculture.

READ THE ARTICLE FROM LA TERRE DE CHEZ NOUS

Families as Role Models for Gender Equality

Families are fundamental spaces for socialization and the learning of gender norms and social relationships. The gender-based family model (GBFM) approach will soon be implemented as part of the Projet de structuration des services économiques et environnementaux aux transformatrices agroalimentaire tunisiennes (PSSEETAT) (Project for Structuring Economic and Environmental Services for Tunisian Women Agro-Food Processors).

The objective of the GBFM is to engage families as units of social transformation by promoting gender-equal relations among their members. This transformative method involves the participation of both women and men from various families to raise awareness of more equal social relationships and task-sharing.

In 2023, PSEETAT developed the GBFM approach, specifically tailored to the rural Tunisian context, along with a support guide for these model families. Three traditional families will be selected to participate in an initial awareness-raising session on gender equality.

Following this session, the model families will be encouraged to identify concrete actions they can take to achieve more equitable task-sharing. The positive, transformative experiences of these families will then be shared within the project’s target communities.

The Evolution of the Circular Economy in Haiti

Circular economy continues to transform lives in four regions of Haiti: the South, Nippes, Baptiste, and Rivière-Froide.

This approach creates a sustainable market for farmers by supporting six primary schools, where students receive between two and five nutritious meals per week, prepared by women’s groups that manage locally sourced school canteens.

In addition to improving students' food security, this circular economy model promotes school attendance and provides relief to families living in difficult conditions.

In the communes of Torbeck and Doriole, the project has also enabled the establishment of safe, well-equipped food processing spaces for women. These women have participated in various training sessions to help them develop income-generating activities.

Thanks to this support, the women’s group KOFAKAD has acquired a sales location in Les Cayes, a major urban center representing an attractive market for their products.

Amid Haiti’s ongoing crises, a significant urban exodus has led to a return to rural areas. This trend, combined with families in these regions now favoring schools with canteen services, has contributed to a substantial increase in the number of students benefiting from these canteens.

The circular economy program in Haiti is made possible through financial support from Manger local fait grandir le monde and the Roncalli International Foundation.

Every year, thanks to the circular economy project in Haiti...

+ 150,000
meals are served
  • with 85% of ingredients sourced locally
46
women are actively involved
1,411
students are fed
  • in 6 different schools

Connecting Women Farmers in Quebec and in Haiti: Women and Leadership

In celebration of International Women’s Day, a virtual discussion on the theme "Women’s Leadership: How to Equip Women and Girls for Gender and Equity Approaches" brought together around thirty members of the Association Femmes Village de l’Espoir de Limbé in Haiti and representatives from the Women Farmers of Quebec.

The participants shared experiences and discussed challenges related to accessing land ownership, financial resources, training, and security. A Q&A session allowed them to deepen their understanding of the constitution and various issues faced by the Women Farmers of Quebec.

This meeting provided hope to the women of Limbé amid the country’s ongoing political instability and sparked new ideas and perspectives for the women’s groups, including the possibility of forming a federation of women farmers

The event also featured an intervention by Asosiyasyon Fanm Solèy Dayit (AFASDA), which focused on human rights, active participation in social, economic, and cultural life, and laying the groundwork for a more just, united, and inclusive Haitian society.

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Environment and Climate Change
Martin Caron
A Word from the President

A famous journalist and writer once said, "To engage is first to attempt to speak to others." And I can attest to that! In the early 1980s, a colleague invited me to a meeting of the group The Future Professionals of Agriculture. It was at that moment that I truly understood how my situation, in many ways, was similar others.

This openness toward others continued over time. I realized, through each of my engagements, that advocating for change and improvement first requires talking about it. This is how we can identify what unites people, their shared challenges, and the potential solutions.

The 100th anniversary of the Union of Agricultural Producers (UPA) in 2024 is an opportunity to celebrate this great sense of community. The 30th anniversary of UPA International Development (UPA DI) in 2023 was equally significant. In both cases, the gathering of individuals driven by an unwavering desire for openness and change has led to great achievements, in Quebec and around the world.

This commitment is invaluable, not only for Quebec's agricultural sector but for every community directly or indirectly impacted by the expertise, willpower, and know-how of our organization. It is with great pride that I have taken on the presidency this year, and I invite you to read and enjoy this year’s report.

Hugo Beauregard-Langelier
A Word from the Secretary-General

Whether we live on sand clay, or snow, there are individuals who make the decision to act in solidarity. This commitment is what has driven UPA International Development (UPA DI) from its creation in 1993 to the present day. Initiated by farmers cultivating the lands of Quebec and later enriched by their sisters and brothers in Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Asia, the dedication of these individuals to international solidarity and family farming has enabled UPA DI to grow. Although UPA DI's past is filled with success stories, the future global context in which we will operate suggests many challenges.

If agriculture has been the foundation of our civilizations, its current trajectory is concerning. Until 2019, living standards, health, and education worldwide showed steady growth. But starting in 2020, these indicators began to decline for the first time in nearly 30 years. It is difficult to judge history as it happens, , but the multiplication of global crises, the rise of inequalities, the erosion of civil liberties, and the expansion of artificial intelligence are all signs of significant upheavals ahead.

Despite this global uncertainty, , the engagement of those who grow our food and seek to live with dignity is essential.  Family-owned businesses remain the dominant model, contributing both to the vitality of rural areas and the food supply of cities. Whether in Europe, Africa, Asia, or Quebec, agricultural families around the world have demonstrated their ability to mobilize and commit to more sustainable food systems. It is within this commitment that UPA DI finds its purpose.

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