Fifteen young people from the Mali Agribusiness Incubation Hub (MAIH) participated in a one-day training session on vegetable production and marketing at Samanko Research Station, WorldVeg West and Central Africa / Dry Regions, Bamako, Mali. The group learned composting techniques, how to manage a nursery, and how to use integrated pest management methods for vegetables. They also discussed vegetable farming as a business with the WorldVeg team: Production and Postharvest Specialist Takemore Chagomoka, Plant Health Scientist Wubetu Legesse, and Plant Breeder Jean Baptiste Tignegre.

Victor Afari-Sefa, acting Regional Director, encouraged the youths to improve the performance of their enterprises, and to take advantage of the proximity of their production sites to markets in Bamako, a city of 1.8 million. The young entrepreneurs had no previous exposure to vital business skills such as proper recordkeeping and budgeting; they discussed the necessity of these practices with the trainers. Cheick Diarra, Chief Executive Officer of MAIH, praised the WorldVeg training, noting that it will go a long way toward building the capacity of local youth to operate successful vegetable-based businesses. The World Vegetable Center remains committed to the development of sustainable and viable vegetable value chains, targeting vulnerable social groups such as women and youth, especially in peri-urban areas.