“We and our
land belong to
our women,”
says Sébougou Village Chief
Mamary Coulibaly.
and Loans to act as their financial partner by investing their
savings in viable financial instruments.
Access to Inputs as a Means to Boost
Yields and Improve Produce Quality –
Vegetable Clusters, Mali
Through 2SCALE facilitation, the input retailer company
Guina Agricole in Niono, Mali, granted female customers
with a supplier credit to procure seeds and fertilizers worth
over €61,000 – fully reimbursed. Improved seeds, combined
with training in onion cropping practices, increased yields
from 10 t/ha in 2014 to 13 t/ha in 2016. The quality of the
produce (caliber and shelf life) also improved, particularly
following a training of women on how to use organic
fertilizer, which strongly influences the quality of the
bulbs. To ensure a remunerative market, the women were
linked to Madougou S.A., a trader who sourced 112 tons of
onion in 2015 to further supply a Malian factory producing
seasoning cubes. Moreover, 2SCALE sensitized and trained
women farmers in the safe use of pesticides. The training
emphasized that young women (of reproductive age) should
never spray pesticides themselves to avoid health issues
affecting them or their babies; instead, they should request
assistance from professional sprayers, also supported by the
program. The use of professional sprayers (young men of the
locality, certified by CropLife Mali) contributes to improved
crop protection, with less pesticide residue and less impact
on the environment (good spraying practices, management
of empty containers, etc.). The sprayers use genuine
pesticides that are registered and adapted to the crop
and are sprayed at the right time and right rate. To ensure
women can pay for the spraying services, 2SCALE facilitated
the inclusion of these services in the loan package offered by
a local microfinance institution, Soro Yiriwaso.
4.4 Institutional Strengthening
of Farmer Organizations
and Promotion of Women’s
Leadership
There are fewer women than men participating in farmer-
based organizations (FBOs). This is linked to their limited
control of production resources such as land, to non-
inclusive membership criteria, and to social norms and
gender roles affecting their mobility and time availability.
Low membership and women’s lack of access to FBOs, in
turn, limit their access to services and resources provided
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