Exploiting the agricultural potential of Kolda: the inspiring journey of a resilient young entrepreneur driving socio-economic development

Kolda, Senegal – The agricultural potential of the Kolda region is attracting many ambitious young people and returning migrants eager to succeed in the agri-food sector. In this region, many agripreneurs dream of succeeding in the agricultural sector, and Lamine Baldé is a prime example. Although the young returned migrant now enjoys cultivating his market garden, his path has not been a smooth one.

Like many young people from Kolda, a region in southern Senegal, Lamine aspired to find better working conditions abroad and earn a living in Europe.

“At a time when the land wasn’t giving much in the way of production, when the family’s needs were becoming more and more numerous, many young people of my generation had left to emigrate. All I could think about was leaving my village and creating a new life for myself in Europe” explains the young man.

In 2013 at age of 29, Lamine left his home village, crossing Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger before finding himself stranded in Libya where he faced many hardships, including multiple imprisonments, and worked relentlessly in artisanal gold mines.

After five years of hard work in Libya, Lamine decided to return home in 2018. After contacting the International Organization for Migration (IOM), he was offered assisted voluntary return under the EU – IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration.

Upon returning home, it was only natural for him to resume his agricultural activities, which he had temporarily abandoned, including rainy season farming and market gardening.

 “I had to get back on track and prove to those around me that I was capable of bouncing back after this failure,” he said.

With the support of IOM, he started a market gardening microproject with the ambition of becoming a successful horticultural producer in the Kolda region. Because of his commitment and the promising results of his micro-business, Lamine has been selected as a beneficiary of the "Consolidating the reintegration achievements of Senegalese returned migrants through integrated support to micro and small enterprises (Phase II)" project, financed by Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic and implemented by IOM in Kolda since November 2023. As part of the project’s benefits, Lamine is currently enrolled in an eight-month scale-up programme that includes technical training across the agri-food value chain (from production to marketing), technical support to incubate his microproject and tailored coaching, access to modern, appropriate equipment and microfinancing.   

His commitment, determination and constant improvement of his micro-business enabled him to win the prize for the “best incubee of the month” in July 2024. His message to his fellow incubates is to “stay focused on your business and, above all, be resilient and perseverant,” which are his only secrets to success. Having also participated in the Dakar International Fair for Agriculture and Animal Resources (FIARA) in May 2024, these two activities enabled him to establish contacts with potential customers and suppliers, strengthening his determination to become a leading agricultural entrepreneur in the Kolda region.

Equipped with the knowledge he had gained over the years and during the ongoing incubation programme, Lamine decided to expand his market garden, diversify his crops and enhance his rainy season harvest of ground nuts and maize.

He is progressively adopting environmentally friendly organic farming practices, through his own production of bio-fertilizers such as compost, bio-pesticides, the recycling of plastics and the use of solar panels to pump water from the well for his market garden.

"Before this project, I used a lot of chemical fertilizers because we were made to understand that without the use of chemicals you can’t get much production. It was with this project that I realized the dangers of these products for the environment and our health. After that, I gave up everything in favor of bio-fertilizers that I make myself", explained Lamine.

He explains that he used a motor pump to water his market garden. With the training and incubation, “I realized that it wasn’t environmentally friendly, so I turned to solar energy”. By shifting to organic farming, Lamine is well-positioned to obtain a conversion label from BIO RACINES.

The young entrepreneur aspires to become a national champion of organic farming and a model of success, inspiring young people to set up their own businesses, revitalizing the local economy, and promoting youth employment to help reduce irregular migration.

By Yaya DIALLO, Senior Project Assistant, IOM Sub-office Kolda