Senegal
Gardens
Learn how Peace Corps Senegal works with communities and schools to grow their own food thereby increasing their food security
PCVs and their counterparts help construct gardens in many settings in order to train a variety of social groups and improve the availability of vegetables. Volunteers extend the practice of permaculture, a biointensive approach to growing a larger quantity of food in a water and nutrient-efficient space.
Shared gardening spaces provide a public space for training and demonstration. Community gardens spread the start-up and maintenance costs of fencing and water access across the participants. Women’s gardens, in particular, provide women with a social outlet, income generation to better meet the food and health needs of their families, and a point of focus for the development of women’s groups.
Permaculture is long-lasting, sustainable agricultural practices mixed with agroforestry.
“Permanent” structures include live fencing, fruit trees, alley cropping, garden beds, year-round cover crops
The garden applies zero-cost water conservation techniques like irrigation channels and planted berms, mulching, and composted soil with improved water holding capacity. Soil amendments like bio-char, compost, ash, and organic green material improve soil structure and allow for sustained cultivation.
PCVs build demonstration permagardens and hold trainings to extend the technologies to local farmers.
A school garden lesson plan toolkit covering design, activities, biology, nutrition, and marketing.
A quick reference guide to vegetable gardening in Senegal
A guide to the pests of Senegal. Includes photographs of pests and the damage they leave to plants and strategies for minimizing pest damage, including non-toxic pesticides.
