At only 26, Alicia Gómez Giménez impressed the WiA Awards jury with Manderly Agriculture, the project she built from scratch on an island with almost no agricultural activity. We had a talk with her right before the award ceremony at Agritechnica, last November.
How was Manderly Agriculture born, and why did you decide to start a project in such extreme conditions as Cabo Verde?
Everything started when I realized that Sal Island depended almost entirely on imported products. It struck me that such a consolidated tourist destination relied nearly 100% on food coming from outside. There is practically no agriculture here, just a few small local farmers working with very limited resources, lacking both training and the investment required to make agriculture viable in such a harsh environment.
That’s why I decided to study entrepreneurship and hydroponics at the University of Arizona, and then moved to the island at 23 with the firm belief that it was possible to produce locally in a place with no freshwater, infertile soils, and extremely high salinity.
At the beginning it wasn’t easy. I was young, foreign, and didn’t have much experience, so not many people believed in the project. I started growing hydroponic tomatoes on my rooftop and delivering them in a basket to potential partners, just to prove that local production was possible if the right technology was implemented. That’s how I slowly gained credibility and people began to believe in the vision.
Today, our model integrates fertigation control, solar energy systems, and precision nutrient management with a regenerative approach — turning waste into life and degraded land into productive soil and with over 2500 m² in operation, we can produce gourmet tomatoes, peppers, herbs and microgreens year-round in a place where this was once considered impossible. We now supply major hospitality chains such as Hilton, Robinson, Meliá, RIU and local supermarkets.
Sal Island is our pilot site in a larger mission to create scalable solutions for small islands with limited or nonexistent local agriculture. Our goal now is to continue growing, cover around 40% of the island’s demand for fresh produce, and eventually replicate this model across other SIDS, reducing dependence on imported products, increasing food security, and contributing to more resilient local economies.
What role do women play in the project, and why was it important to include them from the beginning?
The human dimension is just as important as the technological one in Manderly. Our work is not only about feeding the island; it’s about creating dignified local employment and inspiring the next generation of women in agriculture.
However, it was initially difficult to find women working in the sector. Many of them juggle family care responsibilities and rely on temporary jobs that allow flexible schedules. So I went on the radio and called for a small gathering of women interested in agriculture, mainly to listen to their needs. What we found was a group of motivated women who wanted to work but lacked training and a system adapted to their realities. So, we decided to adjust our schedules and processes so they could not only work, but also learn.Today, over 40% of our team are Cabo Verdean women trained in agritech operations, agronomy, and farm management.
hat does the Women in Ag Award mean to you?
It’s a very meaningful recognition. There are still few women in the agricultural sector, and in an industry where meetings are still mostly led by men, awards like this show that women are not only present — we are leading high-impact agricultural solutions.
And finally, what advice would you give young women who want to do something similar but don’t know where to start or don’t feel confident?
Don’t wait for the “perfect moment”, it doesn’t exist. And above all, don’t be afraid. There is always a path forward.
If you build your project on strong values from the beginning (sustainability, social impact, innovation) you’ll find a way to make it real, even if it looks impossible from the outside. Cabo Verde had no water, no soil, no energy, not even bees… and still, we found solutions for every obstacle we faced.
