Empowering women and beating hunger through market gardening in Mali

“Before, I had nothing. I was nothing” explains Awa Keïta. “We survived on next to nothing. When there was food, we ate. When there was not, we looked at each other. And I did nothing, because I was convinced that this was our fate – God’s will, and trying to change it might anger God. Then people from the World Food Programme came to Tonzougouwere, our village. They brought us together to discuss malnutrition and poverty, and that everyone had the right to food. Could this be true? They started this project, they dug a well, and World Vegetable Center trainers brought seed and tools and taught us how to grow vegetables, coming back again and again. Now most of the women in the village are vegetable growers, and so proud of now providing vegetables for their families and selling the surplus.”

That the World Vegetable Center is helping to implement WPF’s 2020-2024 action plan to build resilience, work together in a veritable crusade to drive hunger and malnutrition out Mali. On the edge of the Sahara, temperatures are almost always scorching, the soil is ungrateful, and finding water is an eternal challenge. But in Diarabougou, Nonzonbougou, Soya and Tonzougouwere, in Koulikoro and Ségou regions, there have been great changes.

The World Food Programme installed wells, water towers, solar-powered pumps, and fencing for around 4 hectares of land, where with support from WorldVeg, tomato, eggplant, okra, chili, onion, amaranth and other highly prized leafy vegetables are now grown. The land is communal, with women and youth allocated small plots where hope grows and vegetables grow side by side.

WorldVeg provide quality seeds and know-how, especially on mulching and water conservation, so essential in these arid zones. But one training module on simple methods for vegetable processing and preservation, won unanimous approval everywhere. After the theory, farmers enthusiastically learned, step-by step, how to make canned vegetables and tomato purée, which after pasteurization last more than a year. In Koulikoro and Ségou regions, more than 210 farmers received different training courses, on good agricultural practices, sack gardening, postharvest technologies, and vegetable processing. And on average across the four sites, 80% were women.

Overall, the project surpassed all objective set for 2023. Six producer groups were organized into cooperative societies, from which 122 members were trained in business management. Engagement was made and information was collected from 78 actors: 19 agrodealers, 39 traders, 5 microfinance institutions, 6 transporters, and 9 processing associations. Five business enterprises were established, four capacity strengthening action plans were drawn up, four actions plans were finalized, and two diagnostic and design courses were held.

The project also works in Gao, Mopti and Timbuktu regions, where, amongst four producer groups, 350 farmers received similar training courses, notwithstanding security concerns in these regions. Tools, seed kits and more than 1350 horticultural sacks were distributed, four zero energy cooling chambers were built, eight community gardens were established, each with three improved varieties of tomato, okra, sweet pepper, chili, onion, amaranth and African eggplant. And links were made between producers, traders, markets and agrodealers along the value chains in each region.

Farmers receiving new farming tools in Timbuktu, and a visit to a vegetable producer in Gao

The story started with Awa Keïta, and it is only fitting that it ends with her. “I want to thank the World Food Programme for everything they do for us in Tonzougouwere, and the World Vegetable Center trainers, because we were a nomadic people who settled down, but had interest or skills in farming, only livestock. Without their intervention, I and my neighbors would still be destitute and hungry. I want to double by quarter hectare plot now, and start selling more. So, you can understand how proud I am now, Awa Kéita – market gardener!”

Mali Resilience is funded by the World Food Programme, and implemented by the World Vegetable Center (2022-2024), and NGO partners in each zone of intervention – AMASSA in Mopti, UAVES in Gao, GRADP in Timbuktu.

This article can also be found in the World Vegetable Center Annual Report 2023

WorldVeg Annual Report 2023 ! – World Vegetable Center (avrdc.org)