The Goundam and Dire circles in the Timbuktu region are among the most food-insecure areas in Mali (CSA, 2005). Due to the very low annual rainfall (150–200 mm), recessional agriculture is practised along river branches, ponds, and lakes seasonally flooded by the Niger River. The intensity of the flooding determines the amount of land under […]
The System of Rice Intensification, or SRI, is an agro-ecological and climate-smart rice production methodology that allows farmers to produce more grain using less seed and water, and fewer purchased inputs. Unlike other agriculture strategies, SRI does not rely on infrastructural projects, new varieties or fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides to raise yields. Instead, SRI is […]
CHALLENGE Communities located along the Niger River have very little rainfall—averaging only 150 to 200 mm annually (averages in coastal countries in West Africa are about 1600 mm1 ). Moreover, high climatic variability can significantly raise or lower these levels. Because rice and other crop production depends primarily on the recessional floodwater of the Niger […]