Mali

In Mali, 63.8% of the population lives in poverty. Women and livestock keepers are the greatest victims. Despite the abundance of livestock, they rarely give a profit. The animals are sold alive; the farmers get little added value from meat, leather or skin. Milk production also gives little profit because of the deficient storage infrastructure and processing equipment. On top of everything, since the outbreak of the political crisis and the armed conflict in 2012, the livestock sector has been hit even harder by insecurity and lack of safety.

 

How we help

  • In order to be able to compete with cheap imported milk, we support local cooperatives that provide dairy products to the market. By improving hygiene during milking and animal health, three to four times more milk can be sold.
  • To meet the growing demand for poultry in the cities, we support local poultry farming north of the capital Bamako.
  • We promote the role of women who can, through better production and sale of poultry, bridge the difficult periods between harvests and cope with food shortage.
  • We encourage and guide young veterinarians to start a practice in the countryside.
  • We make cattle farmers aware of the importance of vaccinations and encourage them to stock feed for the dry periods.

Local partner

Initiatives Conseils Développement (ICD): uses its expertise in animal health and the dairy sector to improve the living conditions of livestock keepers and farmers.

Contact

Brahima Goita
Country representative Mali (Bamako)
mali@vsf-belgium.org

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