Farmer field days create demand for new millet and legume seeds in Mali
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New varieties of climate-resilient and highly nutritious crops bring hope to rural communities in Koulikoro, Ségou, Kayes and Sikasso regions of Mali
ICRISAT News
Farmer field days held in Mali during the pre-harvest season, October and November 2022, have led to increased adoption of new varieties of sorghum, millet, groundnut and cowpea by farmers. Heads of the agriculture sector in these regions report of increased demand for seed of these improved varieties that are high-yielding and drought tolerant.
The field days were facilitated by partners of the ‘Improving crop productivity and climate resilience for food and nutrition security’ project (EU-APSAN-Mali). The aim was to showcase the performance of improved technologies and facilitate learning among partners. Over 40,000 Malian smallholder farmers are beneficiaries of the project.
Seed distribution and seed fairs in project regions
In 2022, as part of the project, the local union of cereal producers (ULPC) distributed 257 mini bags of sorghum, cowpea, groundnut and millet seeds in the project intervention areas. A total of 240 producers, including 81 women, benefited from the mini bags. To enable producers to start the campaign with good quality seeds, ULPC organized four seed fairs at the local level, particularly in village markets. More than 200 producers took part in these fairs that provided a platform for exchanges on crop performances between producers and seed vendors' committees and an opportunity to raise producers' awareness on the use of varieties promoted by the project. The ULPC also participated in the national seed exchange of Mali in 2022.
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