Mali, Tropical Legumes Project II

Country: Mali
Project details
Services:
Capacity building
Enterprise development
Nutrition
Crops:
Legumes
Households reached:
240 (6-7 person on average in each household)

Tropical Legumes Project II, 2015 - 2019

 

Donor:

International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)

 

Goal

This project aims to support cooperatives to produce certified groundnut seed through the implementation of a participatory selection program of groundnut varieties in rural areas. It also seeks to enhance and diversify the multiplication of improved seed varieties.

 

What we do

This project is a continuation of the 2007 “Improving the Productivity of Groundnuts in high-risk areas in West Africa” project. EUCORD is implementing a program of participatory selection of groundnut varieties in rural areas, while also supporting seed production. The project’s objectives are to improve the capacity of the cooperative’s leaders, train a network of seed producers, and market and test the product.

 

Accomplishments

Following the success of the first two phases, a third phase of the project was signed with ICRISAT in July 2015. Its main objective is to support cooperatives producing certified groundnut and cowpea seed. EUCORD’s role is to build the capacity of the cooperative leadership, training of a network of seed producers, and seed marketing. EUCORD has recently started a partnership with a peanut processor for the supply of quality, aflatoxin free peanuts on the basis of production contracts between producers and processors. ICRISAT is developing a pilot project with EUCORD’s participation to support this activity. USAID has agreed to a no-cost extension to complete the 2018/19.

Despite limited funding, EUCORD has obtained significant results over the past two years:

  1. EUCORD staff carried out demonstrations to introduce several new groundnut and cowpea varieties to farmers,
  2. A large number of seed producers (the majority of which are women) were trained; and
  3. The project produced foundation seeds as well as certified seed.

This project has been completed on this date. At the end of the project, ICRISAT supplied 3 peanut shellers to women cooperatives.