Supporting Rural Women, a True Catalyst for Socio-Economic Integration and Empowerment

Fquih Ben Salah – The empowerment of rural women and the strengthening of their role in the process of sustainable human development were at the heart of an awareness-raising meeting recently held at the Fquih Ben Salah Prefecture headquarters, at the initiative of the Provincial Committee for Human Development (CPDH).

Organized on the occasion of the International Day of Rural Women under the theme “Supporting Rural Women: A Lever for Integration and Empowerment,” this meeting highlighted the crucial role of rural women in the socio-economic fabric. It also underscored their active contribution to boosting the local economy and promoting income-generating activities (IGAs) and the social and solidarity economy (SSE).

In a statement, Nabil Bouchou, head of the Social Action Division (DAS) at the Fquih Ben Salah prefecture, indicated that this year’s theme underscores the importance of “support” as a fundamental pillar for the integration of women from rural areas.

According to him, this theme reflects an awareness of the need to move beyond simply recognizing the roles of rural women and to provide pragmatic and sustainable support to bolster their entrepreneurial initiatives. In this regard, Mr. Bouchou noted that women’s cooperatives currently represent only 10% of the provincial cooperative network, calling for increased support for women to encourage their participation in cooperative activities and, consequently, to enhance their socio-economic contribution at the provincial and regional levels.

Indeed, the statistical data presented at this meeting revealed a promising trend, but one that requires further support. Of the 5,140 cooperatives in the Béni Mellal-Khénifra region in 2025 (comprising 83,944 members), 576 are women-run (5,092 members). These are primarily concentrated in the crafts (55%) and agriculture (32%) sectors.

In the province of Fquih Ben Salah, the overall cooperative network comprises 808 units with 23,153 members (representing 16% of the regional total). However, the proportion of exclusively women-run cooperatives is limited to 82 entities (10%), uniting some 572 members committed to local development.

With the active participation of several partner departments (Office for the Development of Cooperation, Social Development Agency, National Mutual Aid, Agricultural Council, Health and Social Protection), this meeting concluded with a unanimous call to strengthen inter-institutional synergy.

At the end of the meeting, participants advocated for the implementation of practical and sustainable initiatives capable of making support for rural women a genuine driver of empowerment and integration at the provincial level.