Women Leading Change: The 2025 Impact of the W+ Pollen Program

lorena
Jan 5
3 min read

In 2025, the W+ Pollen program, made possible through the purchase of W+ credits, continues to expand real opportunities for women farmers and communities across Tocantins and Bahia. This year, we supported the implementation of multiple women-led initiatives, strengthening food security, income generation, productive autonomy, and environmental conservation.

Our impact is directly tied to the women who, through their projects, transform landscapes, families, and local economies.

🌾 Our 2025 Impact

We supported the implementation of:

3 rural vegetable gardens
1 urban vegetable garden
1 productive chicken coop
1 hydroponic system
3 native seedling nurseries
1 small-scale candy and jam factory
1 small-scale fruit pulp processing unit

We also supported:

71 women smallholder farmers
5 community settlements undergoing income-generation training
62 students trained through our agroforestry learning hub in Porto Nacional
6 internship scholarships awarded to women

Each initiative responds to a concrete local need and becomes a source of autonomy, healthy food, additional income, and community resilience.

Projects That Are Changing Lives

Below are some highlights from the initiatives implemented across Tocantins and Bahia.

🥬 Rural Vegetable Gardens – Tocantins

1. Selma dos Santos Silva — Brejo Fundo, Rio Sono (TO)

Selma struggled to access fresh, local produce. Today, she has a structured vegetable garden, an irrigation system, a fish-farming tank, and a meliponary with stingless bees, enhancing both food security and pollination in the area

2. Maria Aparecida P. de Carvalho — Fazenda Corguinho, Porto Nacional (TO)

To increase the availability of organic produce and generate income through surplus sales, we supported the establishment of a 3,000 m² garden, now progressing with the installation of its irrigation system

3. Lailde Cirqueira Gama — Povoado Ema (TO)

With her new 168 m² vegetable garden, Lailde reduces household expenses, strengthens food autonomy, and creates opportunities to sell excess produce

🥬Urban Vegetable Garden – Tocantins

4. Roberta Pereira de Almeida — Marianópolis (TO)

Roberta, who runs a homemade dinner business, now produces her own fresh ingredients through a 24 m² urban garden, lowering costs while improving the quality of her offerings.

🐓 Chicken Coop – Tocantins

5. Marciane Tavares dos Santos — Caseara (TO)

A equipped chicken coop was built to house 50 Isa Brown hens, ensuring eggs for both home consumption and income generation.

🌿 Hydroponic System – Tocantins

6. Márcia Gleize do Bonfim — Divinópolis do Tocantins (TO)

Márcia installed a hydroponic system in her backyard to secure access to healthy food and open new opportunities for supplementary income

🌳 Community Tree Nurseries – Tocantins and Bahia

7. Municipal Tree Nursery of Caseara (TO) — Led by Vera Lúcia S. de Oliveira

The first municipal nursery in Caseara has now produced a total of 1,300 seedlings at different stages, supporting home gardens, environmental education, and local restoration.

8 e 9. Demétrio Costa and Nova Vida Settlements (BA)

Women leaders are establishing nurseries focused on fruit species and cloned cocoa seedlings. Business models are set, initial materials purchased and sites prepared.

🍓 Community Agro-processing Initiatives – Bahia

10. Nova Vitória (BA)

Women are renovating a collective kitchen to produce jams, sweets, and dehydrated fruits. They have already completed technical training and begun purchasing equipment and renovation materials.

11. Ressurreição (BA)

A designated community space is being outfitted with equipment for a fruit pulp processing unit, enabling women to process fruits that would otherwise be wasted and transform them into marketable products.