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

Content

ObjectivesActivities and achievementsChallenges and constraintsSuccess storiesWay forward

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

Approach

Field visits for Monitoring and supervision.

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.

Installed Signpost 5 Sign boards for more awareness on RiceAdvice

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

Feedback survey

All data on the tablets

checked and ODK forms

sent to the server

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

Aw ni ce aw ka tulomajo la

Merci de votre Attention

Go seichoarigatogozaimashita

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