After graduating as an agricultural engineer, Yasmina chose to return to her hometown to rehabilitate her late father’s land and build her own agricultural enterprise. In a country where women represent the majority of the agricultural workforce but remain a minority of landowners, her journey challenges long-standing norms. With support from the ADAPT programme, Yasmina is turning climate challenges into opportunities while creating jobs for women and helping drive sustainable change in her region.

• What inspired you to start your journey, and what impact are you determined to create?

When I graduated as an agricultural engineer, I decided to return to my hometown in Kasserine and to rehabilitate my late father’s land. There was significant damage caused by climate change. Instead of giving up, I chose to transform the land from informal production into a structured and organised agricultural enterprise. Step by step, through loans and support from ADAPT, I gradually rebuilt the farm. A turning point came in May 2025 when I travelled to Italy for an international exhibition, thanks to ADAPT. That experience changed my mindset: I moved from focusing only on production to thinking about creating local value, through sustainability, innovation, processing, and packaging rather than simply producing raw goods. The impact I want to create goes beyond my own farm. I hope to become an active force in revitalizing the entire region by expanding production, as well as a processing and export facility, and strengthening knowledge-sharing with other farmers. Most importantly, I want to employ as many women as possible and ensure they work in safe and dignified conditions, with proper equipment and health insurance. My dream is to contribute to the transformation of my region and create opportunities for others.

• How does your work empower you and other women today?

For me, empowerment means moving beyond the mindset of a “traditional farmer” and showing that a young woman engineer can innovate, lead, and build sustainable agricultural systems. I see agriculture from several perspectives: as a producer seeking to market products, and as an engineer able to offer guidance to people in the region. This journey has also strengthened my confidence and my sense of responsibility. Seeing the difficult conditions faced by people in my region, especially women, pushed me to seize every opportunity to make even a small contribution that could change someone’s future. Our region has strong potential. By organizing and supporting women working in agriculture, I believe we can achieve far more than the current reality. Through my work as an engineer and my involvement with Réseau ADAPT, I have been able to share knowledge, connect with other professionals, and open new horizons. I also introduced medicinal and aromatic plants and integrated processing and packaging directly on the farm, creating local value and employment opportunities for women in the region.

• What is one piece of advice you would give to young women; something you wish you had heard at 20?

A dream does not mean you have to remain stuck in the same place waiting for the perfect moment. Sometimes you may need to change direction, and that is part of the journey.Difficult times will come, but they will also pass. What matters is to keep trying and moving forward. Even if you do not reach what you once imagined, at least there will be no room for regret because you dared to try. Most importantly, believe in the people who love and support you, and in the strength of women uplifting one another. When women open doors for each other, they create a powerful chain of solidarity that makes everything possible. The real change begins when you shift your mindset. You may face financial and operational challenges, and at times you may feel that you still have a long way to go. But you just have to believe that transformation is possible. I am living proof that fundamental change can begin with one decision: to return home, to start, and to never stop.