Pioneer in Sustainable Agricultural Techniques

MY IMPACT

Patricia Zoundi, founder of Canaan Land in Côte d’Ivoire, trains women living in rural areas about how to grow vegetables using sustainable practices. In addition, she helps connect women to markets around the country, growing their livelihoods and enhancing their economic knowledge.

MY JOURNEY

Patricia works closely with supermarkets to define the specific needs of each location, then pairs each supermarket with a woman (or women) who is growing that set of crops. Moreover, Patricia guides women in how they can grow sustainability, without the use of pesticides. To transfer cash to the women after the food is brought to the store, Patricia uses a platform called Quik Cash, which empowers women to achieve financial freedom and success.

Patricia grew up in a family of farmers. From a young age, she collaborated closely with neighboring rural populations. When she was older, she decided to try social entrepreneurship, which she saw as a two-fold strategy: 1) making a profit, and 2) making an impact. Her vision blossomed, as she continued to believe in herself and persist in her vision to empower women to pursue sustainable agriculture as business. Embracing challenges, she flourished in rallying teams towards shared goals, leveraging her ability to inspire and motivate. Constantly generating and implementing fresh ideas, her dedication to rural populations continues to fuel her drive for impactful change.

She encourages anyone interested in starting a social impact enterprise to not be afraid of what will happen, and to get a lot of input from other people along the way. Patricia is especially inspired by her parents, who focused on what they could do to improve the community they were living in. In addition, Patricia is inspired by her coach, Constantine.