In the Republic of Mali, more than 65% of the population lives in rural areas, relying on agriculture for their livelihoods. Farmers in Mali have felt the impacts of climate change, which has caused more frequent and severe droughts and floods.To build resilience to these challenges, our recently launched Elevating Women and Youth Farmers project, in partnership with Association Malienne d’Eveil au Developpement Durable (AMEDD), will seek to empower vulnerable women and young farmers by improving their access to land, water, livestock and local markets in the regions of Segou and Sikasso. Participants will also receive training in the area of climate-smart agriculture technologies.Women farmers and leaders of farmers’ organizations will be selected and trained during Training of Trainer sessions on climate-smart technologies including organic farming, composting, high yielding improved crop and vegetable seeds, intercropping, micro-dosing and contour bounding to increase farm yield and agriculture productivity.

These lead farmers will then utilize the Farmer Field School approach to demonstrate sustainable land and water management practices and train beneficiaries on improved use of local nutrient-rich crops for household nutrition. At the conclusion of this project, 1,400 women and youth will have increased access to land and markets, and 20,000 beneficiaries will have a greater awareness of climate change, nutrition and land rights.Are you feeling as inspired as we are by this new initiative? Donate today to support our efforts to empower communities around the globe!