“Traditional Indigenous Territories encompass up to 22 percent of the world’s land surface and they coincide with areas that hold 80 percent of the planet’s biodiversity”
      – The World Bank, The Role of Indigenous Peoples in Biodiversity Conservation, 2008

Edwin Allan and Senegalese women farmers sitting around buckets of peanut paste

Graduate student Edwin Allan discusses the process of making Bonbon Bouye with Senegalese farmers

Our researchers are working with rural communities in Senegal, West Africa, to develop environmentally-sustainable food products that honor indigenous knowledge, generate revenue for local economies, and improve children's nutrition. These programs provide training in value-added product development and marketing, foster entrepreneurship, and empower women and other community members.

Building Indigenous food entrepreneurship with Senegal smallholder women farmers