Development of adapted vegetable gardens for elderly women in Kpomassè, Benin

In Benin, nearly 40% of the population lives below the poverty line, older women are often forgotten and face multiple difficulties: widowed or alone since the men and children migrated to neighboring cities or countries, they have neither income nor daily support.

In Kpomassè, a rural commune an hour from the economic capital Cotonou, this reality is particularly harsh. These women have worked the land all their lives, but their bodies no longer allow it. Too weak to go to the fields, they eat little and poorly, in an isolation that deepens year after year.

This project was born from this observation. The goal is to enable these women to grow vegetables at home, at their own pace and according to their abilities, using vertical gardens made from recycled materials. This allows them to eat their fill, share with their neighbors, and sell part of their harvest to cover their essential expenses.

Zoassi, 65, a widow living alone with her granddaughter, shares her experience: «I no longer have the ability to go out. Since I started my garden, I no longer buy vegetables. I eat them frequently. The other women in the village come to ask me for some, and I give them some.»

Josephine, 62, for her part, highlights the contribution that these gardens represent for her health: "I sold 2500 F worth of vegetables in this garden. I was able to take my medication.".

This project also fosters connections; these elderly women welcome village schoolchildren to their vegetable gardens and thus become figures of knowledge transmission once again. They rediscover a place at the heart of their community.