Fily Keita

Agrowomen is a local cereals and oilseeds processing start-up contributing to food security and women economic empowerment through value addition. We process sesame seeds, make sesame snacks, oil, and sell the rice Malodouma (tasteful rice). We use e-commerce to sell our products. We work with women farmers cooperatives, and we connect them to national and international buyers. We sell our products through supermarkets, food stores, social media, and our website. Despite the fact that Mali is the 4th in sesame production and 2nd in production growth in West Africa, sesame seeds are neglected in Mali. 95 percent of Malian sesame are exported outside, only 5 percent are consumed inside the country. There is a great need for local cereals and oilseeds processing. There is also a great need to promote the local rice chain. There is a huge consumption rate of imported rice in Mali. More than 70 percent of women are active in the agriculture sector in Mali. Women farmers profit less from their productions. Less than 5 percent of women own land in rural areas. Agrowomen process local cereals and oilseeds. They also contribute to food security and women economic empowerment. Our uniqueness is that we work on natural and local cereals and oilseeds, use ecological packaging, e-commerce to sell our products and buy raw materials seeds from women farmers cooperatives and connect them to buyers. We are not a mere business. We are a business with a social mission which are women economic empowerment and food security.