Empowering rural women is key to ensuring food security
The story of Hanen Talbi, Sonia Mhamdi and Imen Chelbi.
The Rural Youth Mobility project provided Sonia with technical expertise and business management skill to launch her traditional spice business. (© Nikos Economopoulos / Magnum Photo)
Hanen is a 25-year-old biologist living in Ouled Taleb, Siliana, one of several areas in North West Tunisia that are particularly hard-hit by unemployment, low income and high rates of migration. Hanen comes from a poor rural family, who invested in their children’s education as a pathway out of poverty.
When the FAO Rural Youth Mobility (RYM) project started in the region, Hanen had an option: applying her academic knowledge to agriculture, in her homeland.
With the support of the RYM Project, Hanen has launched her own free-range poultry farming business. The project has provided her with a poultry kit, a 500 egg incubator and the necessary technical support to launch her business.
“FAO was crucial for my project. It enabled me to go from a dream, from an idea, to something concrete and real,” Hanen said. Her plan is to reinvest her current earnings to gradually expand her business. This will allow her to hire more people in her farm and support her family.