In March 2017 AFC-ECO-DLG conducted a week long training on contract agriculture in Mali for partners of the Green Innovation Centre (GIZ funded). Participants included farmers, processors, exporters, seed producers, and representatives of farmer organizations from the mango, rice, potato/vegetable value chains. Women made up a quarter of the participants. The training covered the opportunities and risks of contract agriculture, how to set up such a scheme; how to prepare, evaluate the content of, and manage a contract. Discussions highlighted how contract agriculture already at a more or less formal level within the Malian agricultural sector and that the training was useful in helping participants understand how they can further develop such business models in a win-win framework. All participants committed themselves to share the knowledge gained during their training and two thirds committed to setting up a contract agriculture business model by the end of October 2018. AFC-ECO-DLG will assist the actors to achieve their goals.
For further details please contact Holly.hufnagel [at] afci.de