In a world grappling with mounting food insecurity, youth unemployment, and regional instability, the partnership between Senegal’s PRODAC program and Israel’s agricultural development firm Green 2000 stands out as a bold and effective model of international cooperation. What began as a strategic initiative to empower young Senegalese through agriculture has grown into a multi-layered effort that spans training, infrastructure, and economic development. It represents not only a bridge between continents, but also a bridge between vision and action-between the promise of potential and the power of expertise.
The PRODAC Vision: Empowerment Through Agriculture
Senegal’s Programme des Domaines Agricoles Communautaires (PRODAC) was conceived by the government as a strategic response to two of the most pressing issues facing the country: rising youth unemployment and growing dependence on food imports. The aim was clear-to transform agriculture into a powerful lever for national development and social integration, especially for the country’s large population of young people.
Rather than relying on conventional agricultural reforms, PRODAC introduced a pioneering model: the Domaine Agricole Communautaire (DAC). These community agricultural domains serve not only as production centers but also as spaces for training, innovation, entrepreneurship, and market access. Each DAC is a fully equipped, self-sustaining agricultural ecosystem designed to give rural youth the tools they need to thrive in modern agribusiness.
DACs aren’t just farms. They are centers of opportunity. They represent a shift from subsistence farming to scalable, profitable, and climate-resilient agriculture. With well-developed infrastructure, irrigation systems, storage facilities, and training centers, the DACs are breathing new life into regions like Sédhiou (SEFA), Louga (KMS), Diourbel (KSK), and Sangalkam in Dakar.
But to translate such an ambitious idea into reality, Senegal needed a partner with the technical know-how, practical experience, and capacity to deliver sustainable agricultural transformation on a national scale.
Green 2000: Bringing Israeli Innovation to African Soil
Enter Green 2000, an Israeli agricultural development company with deep roots in Africa and a track record of over two decades in implementing integrated farming solutions across the continent. Known for its Agricultural Services and Training Center (ASTC) model, Green 2000 doesn’t just build farms-it builds systems, knowledge networks, and local ownership.
In the context of PRODAC, Green 2000 was contracted to design, build, and operate multiple DACs based on their integrated model. From the outset, the collaboration was grounded in the principles of knowledge transfer, sustainability, and community empowerment.
Here’s how Green 2000 made an impact:
- Designed agricultural master plans adapted to local climatic and soil conditions.
- Built greenhouses, drip irrigation systems, and post-harvest infrastructure.
- Installed solar-powered water pumps to ensure sustainable energy usage.
- Trained Senegalese agronomists, engineers, and young farmers using Israeli techniques adapted for West Africa.
- Created modules for entrepreneurship and cooperative business models, empowering youth to take charge of their futures.
Rather than imposing foreign systems, Green 2000 worked closely with Senegalese stakeholders to co-develop solutions. Israeli innovation was not exported-it was integrated. This respectful and pragmatic approach has led to stronger local ownership, faster skill development, and higher retention rates among trained participants.
Turning Potential into Progress: The Youth-Centered Impact
The backbone of the PRODAC-Green 2000 collaboration is Senegal’s youth. DACs are specifically built to attract young people who might otherwise migrate to urban centers or abroad in search of work. Through this program, thousands of Senegalese men and women have acquired technical skills, access to resources, and a path to financial independence.
Youth participants in the DACs learn to manage everything from vegetable farming and poultry production to post-harvest packaging and cooperative marketing. In SEFA and KMS, young farmers have already launched successful fruit and vegetable operations that supply local schools and markets. These young entrepreneurs are not only feeding their communities-they are redefining what it means to be a farmer in Senegal. Farming is no longer a profession of last resort. With mechanized tools, structured support, and consistent income, agriculture is being embraced as a respected and aspirational career.
Inclusive Growth: Women in the Driver’s Seat
An essential component of the program is the strong emphasis on gender inclusion. Women have not been sidelined in the DAC ecosystem-they are at the center of it. Across all four DACs, women lead cooperative ventures, serve as trainers, and participate in every aspect of production, from nursery management to food processing.
This approach reflects the belief-shared by both Green 2000 and PRODAC-that true development must be inclusive. Women are not just beneficiaries; they are agents of change.
The Economic Ripple Effect: DACs as Engines of Regional Development
The PRODAC-Green 2000 model does more than improve agriculture. It catalyzes regional economies. Each DAC becomes a node in a growing value chain that includes:
- Local construction work during DAC development
- Transport providers who move goods to markets
- Agribusinesses that buy, package, and export produce
- Equipment suppliers and maintenance services
- Microfinance providers supporting small-scale initiatives
By creating this local ecosystem, the project reduces dependency on imported food, strengthens food security, and promotes a rural renaissance that reduces the pressure on Senegal’s cities.
Moreover, with Senegal being a coastal West African nation, the project opens long-term potential for export-oriented agriculture, especially in high-value produce and processed goods.
Strategic Alignment With National and Continental Goals
The success of the Green 2000-PRODAC partnership is not occurring in a vacuum. It is deeply aligned with Senegal’s broader policy agenda, particularly Plan Sénégal Émergent (PSE), the national roadmap for economic transformation. By focusing on employment, youth training, and agricultural modernization, the DACs deliver concrete outcomes that support PSE priorities.
The initiative also resonates with regional strategies, such as the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and CAADP (Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme), both of which emphasize inclusive, technology-driven rural development.
International organizations-including the World Bank, African Development Bank, and UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)-have recognized the DAC model as a blueprint for other countries seeking to combine agricultural reform with youth empowerment.
A Sustainable Model for the Future
What makes this collaboration remarkable is its sustainability. DACs are not charity projects; they are designed to become self-sustaining local enterprises, run by communities, supported by cooperatives, and linked to national markets. Green 2000’s long-term involvement ensures the systems put in place today will continue to function and evolve.
New phases of the project will introduce climate-smart innovations, including solar cold storage, precision farming sensors, and digital platforms for advisory services. There are also plans to scale up aquaculture and agroforestry as part of the diversification strategy.
Each DAC is envisioned not just as a center of agriculture but as a platform for innovation, a springboard for rural enterprise, and a launchpad for a more self-reliant Senegal.
Bridging More Than Just Distance
This partnership between Green 2000 and PRODAC is about more than farming. It’s about belief. It’s about the belief that people thousands of kilometers apart-Israeli agronomists and Senegalese youth-can work together, learn from one another, and build something that none of them could have achieved alone.
It proves that international cooperation can be practical, grounded, and transformative when driven by a shared goal and mutual respect. It demonstrates that when know-how meets local will, and when vision is paired with execution, nations grow stronger, people grow prouder, and futures grow brighter.
As Senegal continues to plant the seeds of change, the world watches with admiration-and takes notes.