In the late 1990s, SOS FAIM launched a study in five regions of Senegal to identify farmer organizations with growth potential. The aim was to set up a local development programme working with these organizations. As a result of this study, Fatick region was chosen. Its 724,345 inhabitants
live in one of the country’s poorest regions1. The poverty rate (57.1%2) is well above the national average (35.6%).