Blen Biru

Research on  Women’s access to land in Senegal  

I conducted my independent research in Senegal, a country of the West African coast. My topic of interest lied in studying women's access to land in this region. I spent the first two weeks in the capital city, Dakar, gathering secondary information from state offices regarding this subject. Consequently, I traveled to Theis, Senegal’s second city, to conduct interviews with women whose daily lives involved agricultural activities. I learned that women do not have equal access to land as men due to complex set of social, cultural, religious and historical circumstances. This presentation will give an insight to the overlooked issue of women's lack of access to land in Senegal. In addition, I will share the obstacles and challenges as well as the excitement I experienced as a young woman doing a research abroad.