She shapes the sea: Restoring Bagamoyo’s coastline with seaweed and sisterhood

Hello! My name is Zuhura Ahmad, and I’m honored to serve as a 2025 Restoration Steward, leading the Bagamoyo Seaweed Farming Initiative, a youth and women-led movement dedicated to restoring coastal ecosystems and empowering local communities in Bagamoyo, Tanzania.

My restoration journey began in high school when I first engaged in land restoration. But it wasn’t until 2022, during a visit to a coastal community in Bagamoyo, that I truly understood the deep connection between people and ecosystems. 

The waves lapped against the shore as I walked along the coastline of Bagamoyo. In the distance, I saw women wading in the shallow waters, their hands gripping ropes, pegs and strands of seaweed swaying like underwater forests. As I moved closer, I listened to their stories of rising tides swallowing their land, of mangroves disappearing and of a future slipping away with every crashing wave. In that moment I understood restoring the ocean wasn’t just about protecting nature–it was about restoring dignity, livelihoods and hope for the women who depended on it.

That’s where the seed of the She Shapes Nature was planted and grew into the Bagamoyo Seaweed Farming Initiative in October 2023, in collaboration with two incredible community groups: Bagamoyo Environmental Group (BEG) and Young Women in Transformation (YWT). Together, we are cultivating seaweed along the Indian Ocean coast, an activity that restores the marine ecosystem and uplifts women with the skills, knowledge and income they need to thrive.

Seaweed and sisterhood in Bagamoyo

Bagamoyo Town. Photo: Zuhura Ahmad

Bagamoyo is where history, culture and the ocean’s whispers intertwine. Once a sanctuary of abundance, its coastline is now on fragile ground. Overfishing has emptied its waters, pollution stains its shores and deforestation has stripped away nature’s defenses. But where the tides have turned, women are rising.

Among the waves, the Bagamoyo women plant resilience, one strand of seaweed at a time. With calloused hands and unwavering spirit, they cultivate a future rooted in the ocean’s embrace. Their sisterhood is their strength, weaving tradition with innovation, restoring not just the coastline but the dignity of those who depend on it.

The sea that once felt like an unpredictable tide now carries the promise of renewal. Through seaweed farming, these women are shaping more than just nature, they are shaping their destinies, proving that when women lead, the ocean listens.

Community circle tying seaweed. Photo: @chapanishaimages

In Bagamoyo, women are leading the charge in seaweed farming, turning the ocean into a source of both sustenance and sustainability. Through our initiative, we provide women with training in seaweed cultivation, harvesting and creating value added goods, transforming raw seaweed into high-value products like soaps, oils and nutritional supplements. Beyond farming, we facilitate access to markets, ensuring fair prices and economic empowerment. 

Our work also extends to restoring degraded coastal areas by integrating seaweed farming with mangrove conservation, creating a holistic approach to marine ecosystem restoration. Through knowledge-sharing sessions and community-led advocacy, we empower women not just as farmers but as environmental stewards and decision-makers in shaping the future of their coastline.

Our goals for 2025

In the coming year, our goal is to train over 50 women and girls in advanced seaweed farming techniques, small-scale entrepreneurship and producing soaps, cosmetics and other seaweed-based products. By expanding our farms and building local capacity, we aim to:

• Improve coastal restoration best practices.
• Scale production to increase local incomes.
• Foster community-led leadership in environmental conservation.
• Use storytelling and knowledge-sharing to inspire other coastal communities to replicate our model.

Our group of women will be supported by a network of local mentors and our dream team, who play a crucial role in ensuring the success and sustainability of our initiative. The local mentors, experienced seaweed farmers, conservationists and community leaders, provide hands-on guidance to new farmers, sharing best practices in seaweed cultivation, harvesting and processing. They also offer mentorship in financial literacy and entrepreneurship, helping women turn seaweed farming into a profitable and sustainable business.

The two women’s groups act as pillars of collective action, fostering a strong sense of community and shared responsibility. They collaborate on farming activities, organize group savings schemes and advocate for better market access and policy support. Furthermore, they facilitate peer-to-peer learning, ensuring that knowledge is continuously passed down and adapted to the local context. By working closely with these mentors and groups, we are not only strengthening individual livelihoods but also building a resilient, community-driven movement for coastal restoration and economic empowerment.

A project rooted in hope

Members of the Bagamoyo Seaweed Farming Initiative and community hold bundles of seaweed. Photos: @chapanishaimages

This is not just a seaweed project. It’s a story of women rising with the tide, restoring our oceans while rewriting their futures. It’s about turning a degraded shoreline into a space of regeneration, resilience and economic opportunity.

As we move forward, I invite you to walk this journey with us. We’ll be sharing updates, stories  and visuals from the field to show how restoration looks and feels when it is rooted in the community and led by women.Together, we are proving that she shapes nature—and nature shapes her back.