Thanks to generous private donations, two more community gardens for women can be created this year – in the villages of Guena and Samalofira.
The historic and picturesque village of Guena is located on a high plateau, just 7 km from the CAAS in Kalassa. The center has a special connection to this place: its founder, Dr. Gunthard Weber, supported the construction of a small village school there, and Barbara Papendieck has dedicated several articles to the village in her blog (unfortunately only available in German): notably issues 59 Guena and 57 Segui Guilana.
Since the construction of the RN5 national road, a large part of the population has moved down into the valley along the road. There, at the new village location, the women’s garden will now also be created. The choice of this location makes sense logistically and is easily accessible. What is particularly nice is that two young women from Guéna were among the very first participants in our basic course four years ago – their involvement in the new garden brings things full circle.
The second garden is being created in Samalofira, a remote village about 21 km from the CAAS farm. The women there proved to be excellent and reliable partners in the run-up to the commissioning of our new peanut press: they delivered large quantities of high-quality peanuts on time. In February 2025, the women’s cooperative from Samalofira completed a training course in manioc cultivation and processing at CAAS.
As with all previous projects, CAAS is providing technical and organizational support for these two gardens and working closely with the local women’s groups.
The biggest challenge: finding water
A stable water supply is essential for any garden. The geology of the Mandé region—especially at the foot of the Mandingo Mountains—is complex, and the search for groundwater is often tedious. On the grounds of our Complexe Agricole (Kalassa 1), drilling was only successful on the very last attempt—but then with great success. A similar situation arose in Guena: only after 16 unsuccessful drilling attempts was it possible to tap into a perfect water source. The women’s garden there is now nearing completion.
Maintenance
The existing gardens are also continuously maintained: Two community gardens recently experienced problems with their water supply, which have now been successfully resolved:
In Kalassa, the pump’s capacity was increased, pipes were replaced, and an air vent was installed. In addition, suitable irrigation times were recommended to efficiently meet water requirements.
In Dissoumana, the solar system was expanded and realigned to ensure a sustainable energy supply for the pump.
