Agriculture

Climate change and the recent surge in food and energy prices have raised the need for increased attention to agriculture. It is in this context that SNV Mali focuses on agriculture to foster economic development through a well-developed pro-poor value chain development approach.

SNV Mali supports farmers' organisations and agro-pastoralists to take more responsibility in agricultural development, take the lead in providing technical advice for the development of growing areas, land management, agricultural finance, marketing products and by-products, protection of interests of their members and professional representation in the formulation and monitoring of agricultural and agro-pastoral policy. Strong support is given to the diversification of agricultural and agro-pastoral sectors for the creation of jobs and income.

Livestock/pastoralism and cotton, are our focus areas because of their structuring farming systems, but we also intervene on other products and value chains, such as cereal and oilseed. SNV Mali interventions in Agriculture sector are composed of 3 main programmes:

Producers' organisations capacity building programme for food security & market access (PROSAM)

The country strategy for food and nutrition security is based on the intensification and diversification of agricultural production, improving incomes of rural producers through better organisation of the market for commodities and the development of the transformation process. In line with this strategy, the SNV PROSAM programme aims to enable 160,000 small family farmers in Mali to access technical support for services and business to develop and diversify their production so as to better ensure their household food security and generate additional income.

Support programme for the enhancement of farm products (PAVAPE)

In Mali, the livestock sector occupies at least 80% of the rural population and contributes over 15% of GDP. This activity, however, faces major challenges that hinder its development. The state spends only 3% of the national budget on this sector. Equitable access and sustainable pastoral and agro-pastoral production factors are essential to increase production and income in order to better ensure food security and meet the needs of health and education. SNV believes that better access for pastoralists and agro-production factors is crucial in the fight against poverty. The programme objective is to contribute to sustainable and equitable income growth for at least 30% of pastoralists and agro-pastoralists in Mali (men and women) through better promotion of products and byproducts farmed by 2015.

Support programme for the enhancement of Women Economic Power through Sesame & Shea value chain (PREFOSEK)

Malian women represent 50.4% of the population. About 48% are active in agriculture and they are the majority in the so called informal sector of the primary marketing and processing with or without a low level of professional qualification. PREFOSEK aims at strengthening the economic power of at least 15,000 women in southern Mali by developing their marketing skills and leadership in Sesame and Shea value chains.

See also: SNV & Agriculture