| Project Detail |
Building on a successful first phase of the Agropastoral Sector Support Program, the Sikasso regional council, the ministry in charge of agriculture and livestock, Swiss Cooperation and Luxembourg Cooperation, have agreed on a new phase of the program. With a budget of 16 MEUR, the Support Program for Agropastoral Sectors - Phase II (PAFA II, MLI/026) is today co-financed in equal parts by the Swiss Cooperation and the Luxembourg Cooperation. Its general objective is to contribute to increasing the income of agro-pastoral family farms, businesses and the most vulnerable people in southern Mali. The specific objective aims to ensure that productivity and employability in the local milk and potato sectors increase sustainably in southern Mali. The first phase of the Agropastoral Sector Support Program (PAFA I, MLI/501), financed exclusively by Swiss Cooperation from 2016 to 2020, made it possible to support the various links in the milk and potato sectors in the region of Sikasso by adopting a “value chain” approach. One of the main successes of the program was to promote dynamic complementarity between key partners in the sectors: local authorities (regional council level), professional organizations with their members, and the private sector. The programs achievements to date have contributed to greater sustainability of the actions carried out by the different actors in the two sectors. Thus, financing methods combining public subsidies with the mobilization of private investment potential, capacity building of producer organizations and inter-professional organizations, development of production (local production of potato plants, irrigation techniques , technical routes, etc.), advisory support to producers, improvement of marketing (professionalization of processing, increased product quality, compliance with standards, etc.) have contributed to the development of the two sectors, and demonstrated their economic potential for the region. Lasting four years, the three major results envisaged by PAFA II are: quality products from the local milk and potato sectors arrive on the markets competitively; the different links of the two sectors are professionalized, inclusive and have renewed skills; the performance of the sectors is improved thanks to the private sector, civil society, professional organizations and public institutions, each in their role. The first and third results are a continuation of the first phase and the dynamics of change initiated, through an improvement in the implementation methods relating to the public and private financing mechanism. The programs challenges will be based, essentially, on the inclusiveness of the sectors, the empowerment of producer organizations and inter-professional organizations as well as the sustainability of production systems and food systems. A major innovation of the program lies in the ambition displayed by the second result, the achievement of which is based on joint action between the actors of the sectors and those of professional training, initial and continuing. The professional integration of trained young people is also supported so that they can obtain decent and sustainable income within the local milk and potato value chains. The program prioritizes the transversal integration of gender, environmental protection, the fight against climate change, good governance, commercial development, capacity building and conflict-sensitive management. In addition, greater inclusion of women and young people is expected in the activities of the local milk and potato sectors. The empowerment of partners and the sustainability of interventions also occupy an important place in the program. The program will directly benefit around 14,000 family farms (men, women and young people) and aims to integrate with decent incomes for at least 700 young people leaving initial vocational training schemes. The program contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by Mali, through its alignment with the Strategic Framework for Economic Recovery and Sustainable Development, CREDD 2019 - 2023, in particular its strategic axis 3 which aims for inclusive growth and structural transformation of the economy. It also contributes to the national investment plan in the agricultural sector (PNISA) 2019 – 2023 and takes into account the Agricultural Land Law. This new phase of the PAFA converges perfectly with the future Indicative Cooperation Program (PIC IV) in Mali, the thematic priorities of which are the strengthening of the socio-economic integration of women and young people, and the promotion of sustainable and inclusive growth. . The programs interventions will directly contribute to the European Unions Team Europe Youth Initiative in Mali. |
