Report

Action Research Project: “Promoting Inclusive Land Governance through Improvement of Women’s Land Rights in Senegal”

In Senegal, the LSLA phenomenon has gained momentum with the government’s implementation of a
new policy orientation that has materialized with programs such as the Return to Agriculture (REVA) in
2006 and the Great Offensive for Food and Abundance (GOANA), 2008, one of the objectives of which
was also to combat illegal migration to Europe. The three municipalities Darou Khoudoss, Ross Béthio and Toubacouta are all confronted with the phenomenon of LSLA but with a different level. For Darou Khoudoss and Ross Béthio this phenomenon is well established, for Toubacouta, on the other hand, it is incipient but the pressure is increasing more and more. Thus, despite the similarities, each municipality has specific characteristics regarding the level of access and control over land by women and their participation in land governance. In addition, the solutions tested had different impacts, some having had more impacts than others, while others are no longer objectives but a reality on the ground. In Toubacouta and Ross Béthio, the initiatives have improved women’s access and control over land, with disparities between municipalities. Although this access and control hides not only
disparities between women in some cases, but also deficiencies in the land surface area, quality, as
well as in the capacity to use land. With regard to women’s political participation, all three municipalities have respected parity, but only at the level of the municipal council and not in the boards and commissions of these bodies. Thus, while participation in terms of numbers is more or less achieved, its effectiveness remains a major challenge because women are excluded from land governance or have little impact on the decisions taken in these bodies.