October 15, 2025 marks the commemoration of International Rural Women’s Day. On this occasion, SAILD visited rural women who contribute significantly to the local economy in the department of Lékié, in the central region.
Nkom-Ndamba is a small village located in the Obala district in the central region.
Located about 30 kilometers from downtown Yaoundé, agriculture and livestock farming are the main economic activities carried out by women.
On this day, October 15, 2025, a day commemorating rural women, Mrs. Abouna Alima, dressed in rural attire, is checking the pods and tending to her cocoa plantation. Originally from Foumban in the West region, Mrs. Abouna is not very familiar with working the land. “I grew up in a family where women don’t work much. But living in Yaoundé, I met and married a man who is a cocoa farmer. It was by his side that I learned how to work the fields,” she says proudly.
Ms. Abouna owns several hectares of land, which she uses to raise pigs, fish, and hedgehogs. She also grows crops such as corn, plantains, yams, macabo, papaya, and cocoa. She produces these crops with the support of her husband.
Climate change, a hindrance
“Rural women facing the challenges of climate change and access to productive resources” is the theme chosen for the 2025 edition of International Day of Rural Women. In Nkom-Ndamba, Ms. Abouna Alima embodies the true rural woman. She says she celebrates International Day of Rural Women, but in her own way.
Despite sometimes difficult days, Alima has much to be happy about. “I see the benefits of my hard work. The last harvests were so fruitful. Farming and livestock allow me to provide for my family’s needs. Building houses, sending children to school, organizing ceremonies. Farming really meets all my needs, especially with good management of my earnings,” the young woman reassures us.
The climate change addressed by the theme of the 30th edition of World Rural Women’s Day is revealing. Ms. Abouna Alima has experienced this over time. “Climate change is very difficult for us in rural areas. When we plant our crops, we wait for rain, but in vain, because it doesn’t come. We don’t yet know how to deal with it, but we can only persevere with our crops,” she laments.
Small-scale artisanal processing
Not far from Mrs. Abouna, Félicité Nga Ndzana is renowned for processing cassava.
She produces good cassava sticks, according to reports. Sitting in her yard, she carefully prepares the cassava for processing. “I make small quantities of cassava sticks that can earn me around 20,000 CFA francs in one or two weeks. With the cassava I am currently squeezing, I plan to make two nets of 200 sticks,” she explains.
To sell her produce, Félicité goes to the markets in Mokolo, Etoudi, or Messassi in the city of Yaoundé. “When individuals come to buy for events, I can sell them a net for 8,000 CFA francs. Otherwise, I sell them individually for 100 to 200 CFA francs each, depending on their size,” she says. However, Félicité encounters some problems in her business. According to her, customers want to buy the sticks at low prices. They do not take into account the effort behind them. However, in Nkom-Ndamba, active and hard-working rural women are the backbone of food security and the mother of the local economy.
- Sharon Maché
