MALI – Some 20 kilometres from the Malian capital Bamako lies the village of Faraba. This village belongs to the municipality of Mandé, has 644 inhabitants and agriculture is its main economic activity. However, sandification of the plain where rice is grown is causing a lot of problems.
In 2022, the 20 hectares of the plain earmarked for rice cultivation were not fully in use because of silting of the river bed. This situation caused food insecurity, rural flight and a shrinking local economy. Research showed that if no action was taken, the entire rice plain was likely to disappear in the coming years.
Join For Water and partners included Faraba in their plans to increase the community’s socio-ecological resilience and revive rice cultivation on the Faraba plain. This will restore the community’s self-sufficiency. About 30 women, representing all families in the village, work on the plains.
The plans
The plans of Join For Water and its partners at a glance:
- reduce silting by 60% by the end of 2026,
- increase rice production and productivity by 10%,
- restore 2 ha of degraded hill areas,
- teach good practices in environmental protection and restoration to the community.
The activities
Many activities have already been implemented:
- education and exchange,
- presenting restoration options to all stakeholders, in line with national norms and standards,
- warming the population to the rehabilitation measures chosen in consultation,
- organising consultations with villages further downstream of the plain,
- implementing and monitoring the works.
The activities are yielding their first results and the families of Faraba are looking to the future with hope.
This is also testified by Soloba, see below.
