There are about 2.5 billion people in the world, on 500 million farms, involved with smallholder family agriculture and food production. Their creative capacity to farm productively and sustainably with nature, instead of against it, is perhaps the most powerful force that can be unleashed to overcome the interlinking challenges...

Beyond the interplay of land, investment and migration over time in central Mali, this book tells the story of a special attachment to the place and people of one scholar’s foundational fieldwork experience, Dlonguebougou (DBG) – which the author visited over 35 years. Its pages intertwine technical topics with personal...

AFSA is delighted to launch a series of five national reports, within AFSA’s Our Land is Our Life land rights initiative in these countries. These reports aim to: Examine Land Policies and Governance: They seek to understand the national land policies and governance structures, focusing on how these policies affect peasants’ rights,...

Digital tools hold the potential to open the untapped potential for agroecology across Africa. One such tool, aiming to reach rural farmers in their own language, interactive voice response, was put to the test in Mali, yielding good results.

Quels rôles peuvent jouer les organisations paysannes en matière de transition agroécologique ? Quelles initiatives et approches défendent-elles pour répondre aux enjeux de formation ? Éléments de réponses avec Ramadan Sylla, chargé d’agroécologie paysanne à la CNOP-Mali (et apprenant du master MIFAR).

A webinar titled « Ressources disponibles sur l'agriculture biologique en langues locales » (Organic agriculture knowledge resources available in local languages) was organised on 14 September 2023 by Access Agriculture Local Engagement team for Francophone partners, especially from the Knowledge Centres for Organic Agriculture (KCOA) in Africa project funded by...

Populations in the G5 Sahel countries are growing rapidly. Given these large cohorts of young populations, over the next five years 11.4 million youth will turn 16 years old, and most will then start to seek jobs in the region. Although the countries are urbanizing, meaning that future economic growth...

Non-extractive and power-equalising research involves different knowledge holders (e.g. researchers and farmers) in a process of close cooperative engagement, jointly producing new knowledge, with mutual learning. As such, this form of cooperative enquiry is a significant reversal from dominant roles, locations, and ways of knowing. I offer some examples and reflections on...

The overall objective of WP4 of the SustainSahel project is to design locally adoptable integrated crop-shrub/tree-livestock systems (CSL) that can improve soil quality and productivity, food security and the resilience of farming systems to climate change.

The study objective is to contribute to food security through the implementation of agroforestry technologies resilient to the effects of climate change in Mali.

Ce document propose une revue de la littérature sur le secteur semencier au Mali. Il décrit les systèmes semenciers existants ainsi que les dynamiques et évolutions en cours dans les systèmes formel et informel. Il présente également le cadre réglementaire ainsi que les acteurs et les programmes dans ce domaine....

Guest blog dedicated to Access Agriculture 10th Anniversary It is no secret that a picture is worth a thousand words. That's why I am taking this shortcut to show to you some of our best experiences of using training videos from Access Agriculture (www.accessagriculture.org), which is the leading platform for promotion...

In 2020, the Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE) was used in Mali to assess the status of the agroecological transition of local farms and to identify its correlation with farms' quantitative performance across the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainability. This study aims to present the evidence on the multidimensional performance...

This guide is based on information from the Food Plants International (FPI) database developed by Tasmanian agricultural scientist Bruce French.The source material and guidance for the preparation of the book has been made possible through the support of Food Plants International, the Rotary Clubs of District 9830, particularly the Rotary...

Face à l’inadéquation des certifications internationales pour les filières ouest-africaines locales, les systèmes de garantie participatifs (SPG) et leurs structurations nationales sont-ils une solution pour répondre à la demande croissante en produits sans résidus de pesticides sur les marchés locaux ? Voici les éléments de réponses du réseau Roppa-Pafao-Jafowa. 

Harvest the soft okra every two days, so they don’t become ripe. But leave the smallest ones for the next harvest. If you leave the pods on the plant to become ripe, this takes energy from the plant and slows down new growth. An okra plant whose pods are harvested...

Cotton is one of the most common fabrics in the world, from its origins in ancient India to the modern garments many of us wear today. This durable, versatile and naturally organic fabric is made from the white, fluffy fibres around the seeds of cotton plants.  However, the backstory of cotton...

The overall goal of the SustainSahel EU funded project is to promote practices that integrate crops, shrubs, and livestock to enhance soil quality and yields, build resilience towards climate change, and contribute to food security and better livelihoods.

Les agriculteurs s’adaptent face à cette évolution mais dans leurs dynamiques, plusieurs aspects rentent encore largement méconnus. Il s’agit notamment  des  espèces qu’ils choisissent,  leurs sources d’approvisionnement en semences, etc.  Depuis quatre ans une équipe de chercheurs du Cirad de Montpellier, en lien avec cinq institutions académiques et quatre organisations paysannes du Niger, du...

This paper describes and critically reflects on a participatory policy process which resulted in a government decision not to introduce genetically modified (GM) cotton in farmers’ fields in Mali (West Africa). In January 2006, 45 Malian farmers gathered in Sikasso to deliberate on GM cotton and the future of farming...