DISSEMINATION OF RICEADVICE IN MALI TO IMPROVE RICE PRODUCTIVITY AND CREATE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT
From the People of Japan
M. DICKO & N. KAMISSOKO
INSTITUT D’ÉCONOMIE RURALE
Project final meeting
Cotonou, Benin - Feb 21st 2017
Objectives
To increase rice yield by 20% and incomes for 1500 farmers in Mali;
To create employment opportunities for 25 youth
Implementation approach
Agreement between IER and extension services (Office du Niger & ODRS) and a farmers organization (ARPASO) to nominate two extension agents for RA dissemination;
to nominate one contact person (“point focal”)
to allow dissemination activities in their zones
Recruit service providers with a six months engagement
Approach
Training on RiceAdvice Use;
Recruit farmers on a voluntary basis in
Office du Niger : 900 farmers (Niono, Macina, M’bewani)
San : 300 farmers
Sélingué : 300 farmers
Training on use of RiceAdvice application tool by
AfricaRice
25 providers including
from extension services
and providers
associations has been
trained
Each trainee received a
tablet with an Id num.
RiceAdvice technology dissemination to
farmersEach of the 25 trainees committed to provide
recommendation to 60 farmers
Including 100 (7%) women & 370 young (25%)
Raison : land tenure mode
Some farmers abandoned the process either because the recommended amount of fertilizer was higher than the usual dose, since this additional quantity was not covered by the subsidy or because they expected the contribution of the project for fertilizer. These farmers had been replaced
The yield could not be collected for some farmers due to the delay in planting crops
Data loss : tablets malfunctioning (?!) How to continue to provide recommendations when Africa
Rice will get back its tablets How to define the more accurate farmer’s contribution for
RiceAdvice providing service
Challenge and constraints
• Mrs. Diabaté, a farmer about 70 years old : ”Now that I know this technology, I will refer to it in the future”
Success stories
Sayon Koné, and Mahamane Traoré providers: "Thanks to rice advice, I received my first salary”
Way forward
Remaining activities to be achieved by the end of the project Data analysis, finished by end of February Feed back to partners : 2nd week of March
Final report submitted : April
Other activities based on the project results with diverse funding supports
Adapt RiceAdvice to more sites and rice materials with assistance of AfricaRice
IER agreed with Office du Niger and OPIB to disseminate RA in their zones AfricaRice assistance at least by providing tablets to reach more farmers in
2017 Train providers in enrepreneurship (with contribution of the NGO “Swiss
contact”) Train literate farmers in use of RiceAdvice using their own smartphone