Beyond the Images: What LOWII Discovered at the Heart of the Agroecological Transition in Ghassate

In early July, the town of Ghassate, in the province of Ouarzazate, Morocco, welcomed a rather special visitor. For several days, Chloé Bennejean, founder and president of the Lowii (Light On Women Inclusion Initiatives) association, immersed herself in the activities of the PAPSA program to produce a photo and video report focusing on the stories of women committed to developing their farms and their local communities.

Created to highlight initiatives that promote women’s inclusion and empowerment, Lowii uses imagery and storytelling as tools for raising awareness. Its goal is to showcase concrete and inspiring solutions that strengthen women’s economic and social independence.

In Ghassate, Lowii went to gather stories from women. She left with much more than that.

Throughout our meetings, the testimonies we gathered highlighted a reality often missing from simplified narratives: the progress observed is not based solely on individual journeys, however remarkable they may be. It is the result of an ecosystem of trust in which women and men, families, technical experts, local organizations, institutions, and partners work together to create the conditions for transition. 

Women play a central role in this dynamic. Often on the front lines of climate challenges, they are developing their skills, strengthening their economic activities, and participating more actively in decisions affecting their farms and their communities. But this progress is built through ongoing dialogue with those around them, with other farmers, and with the stakeholders supporting them.

Lowii’s perspective sheds light on one of the distinctive features of the PAPSA program: an approach that brings together family farms, agricultural supply chains, and the region as a whole. In Ghassate, the agroecological transition is not just a matter of farming practices. It also relies on cooperation, collective learning, and the ability of stakeholders to build a shared vision of their future. 

The mission also highlighted the richness of the partnership between Agrisud International, the Norsys Foundation, and ORMVAO. Far from a traditional support relationship, this cooperation brings together complementary expertise in pursuit of a common goal: to sustainably strengthen the resilience of family farms and the region. 

The images and testimonials currently being compiled will undoubtedly tell stories of faces, actions, and life journeys. But above all, they will bear witness to a shared conviction: the agroecological transition is built with women, thanks to women, but also thanks to the bonds of trust that unite all the stakeholders in a region.

This may be one of the key lessons Lowii has learned from Ghassate: behind every individual story lies a collective journey that brings about lasting change.