Visit turns a spotlight on climate change solutions
In Mali, our Foundation runs a range of activities in the AICCRA project. An official delegation recently met farmers using RiceAdvice. They’re pleased with the tool so far.
AICCRA (Accelerating the Impact of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa) is funded by the World Bank. The six-member management consortium from the CGIAR (formerly the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) is led by the organization Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT. The project started in January 2021 and runs for three years. In Mali, AfricaRice is implementing the project in partnership with our Foundation, along with our Centers for Mechanized Services and Farmers' Hubs.
The Foundation’s Malian director Dr. Salif Kanté recently visited Sélingué. He was accompanied by Dramane Djourté, deputy director of the local Office of Rural Development (ODRS), and his counterpart at the Office of the Irrigated Perimeter of Baguineda (OPIB), Adama Dao. The head of the AICCRA project, our Foundation’s Samuel Guindo, joined the group together with local media.
Farmers in Mali are already familiar with the RiceAdvice app, developed by AfricaRice. This decision support tool provides specific field management guidance. “Its practical advice gives farmers an average extra half a tonne of paddy rice per hectare”, says Salif Kanté. Currently, RiceAdvice is used in the ODRS, OPIB, Office du Niger, and the l’Office Riz Ségou, around Ségou, Koulikoro, and Sikasso. According to Samuel Guindo, "more than 34,000 Malian rice farmers are now benefiting from the app".
Kalipha Diallo grows rice in the irrigated area around Sélingué. He told the visitors: "I’ve been using the app for a while now. It’s helped me choose the best variety, and apply the right amount of fertilizer, as well as guiding me on when to sow and when to prick out. I’m now growing KAFACI 1." This Korean-African variety copes well with floods, droughts, and pests. Kalipha Diallo is satisfied with his field: “This season I expect to get 25 bags of paddy from my 0.25ha, compared to 20 last year.” Dame Sanogo Mah Sanogo planted the Adny11 variety on her similarly sized plot. She is also happy with the crop’s progress so far.
After Sélingué, the delegation moved to Maninkoura, about 45 km away. There, farmer Djelika Keïta told the visitors: “I’m trying out the Nénékala variety on a quarter of a hectare. It’s resistant to cold, and I’m able to use less fertilizer than before.”
Dramane Djourté thanked our Foundation for a partnership that “helps farmers adapt new technologies to cope better with climate change”. Salif Kanté praised the farmers’ resilience, adding that “close collaboration between the different players should lead to improved production”. Adama Dao declared his wish for more farmers to use RiceAdvice in 2023.