Salt Harvesting

In Sine-Soloum Delta, west Senegal, the local people harvest salt like they did for several hundred years. They dig small fields in the soil and through tiny channels let water come in. After that it takes about 20 days for the water to dry and salt layer to be created. The salt is then harvested by mostly women and kids by a piece of an old damaged shifter. First they gather small heaps of salt which they then transfer by small buckets on their heads to the border of the field. From there, they pack the salt into bags and sell it directly to one of dealers. They receive a payment of about 2,5 Euro for a 25kg bag of salt. Dealers then bring the salt on small carts to the nearby main highway to sell it in big amounts to salt companies from Senegal and Mali. Special thanks goes to Annelise Jackbo who helped me with editing the photos.

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