Mali: Improving Agricultural Productivity and Strengthening the Resilience of Rural Households Living in Drylands

WASHINGTON —The World Bank has approved a $30 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA) to enable Mali to improve agricultural productivity and strengthen the resilience of rural households living in the targeted drylands. This additional financing is made available under the Mali Agricultural Productivity and Diversification Development Project in Semi-Arid Zones (PDAZAM).

These additional funds will cover the costs of an emergency response to food insecurity as well as those generated by inflationary pressures, due in part to the Ukrainian crisis and insecurity. The project activities target the poor and vulnerable, including women, young people, and internally displaced persons.

“These additional resources will increase the number of households receiving direct cash transfers from about 40,000 to 193,000 households, and will help alleviate the food insecurity they face,” says Clara De Sousa, World Bank Country Director for Mali. She specifies that in addition “with women playing a dominant role in subsistence farming and in the sale of processed foods in rural and urban markets, the households headed by them and women farmers will be targeted to amplify the benefits of the project.”

With these additional funds, PDAZAM will be able to assist a larger number of eligible recipients in the intervention area, i.e., the regions of Kayes, Koulikoro, Ségou, Mopti, and elsewhere in the event of a food crisis declaration. The rapid spread of food insecurity across the country has led to the emergence of affected areas needing support.

These additional funds, provided a few days after the launch of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm-el-Sheik, Egypt, address the World Bank’s objectives of strengthening the production and resilience of food systems, facilitating trade, developing inclusive value chains, and supporting vulnerable households and producers.

*The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960, helps the world’s poorest countries by providing grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people’s lives. IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 76 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Resources from IDA bring positive change to the 1.6 billion people who live in IDA countries. Since 1960, IDA has supported development work in 113 countries. Annual commitments have averaged about $21 billion over the last three years, with about 61 percent going to Africa.