SRI International Network and Resources Center

MALI

Summary

Willem Stoop began investigating the advantages of introducing SRI into Mali and other West African countries in 1999 while working at West African Rice Development Association (now the African Rice Center). Although Norman Uphoff had discussions with World Vision/Mali and the government's Institute for Economic Research (IER) on setting up SRI trials in Mali in 2003, substantial progress with SRI began only in 2007 when Africare, an NGO working on agricultural and rural development, initiated SRI demonstration trials in the Timbuktu region. The experiments were managed by farmers in the Goundam district with technical assistance from Erika Styger, who learned about SRI while doing her PhD thesis research in Madagascar with CIIFAD.

During the 2007/2008 cropping season, Africare undertook a first demonstration of SRI in two villages. The yield increase using SRI was remarkable: 8.98 tons/hectare, 34% more than the best use of farmers’ rice planting methods (see report). The evaluation was expanded during the 2008/2009 season with support from the Better U Foundation. Average SRI yield of 53 farmers in 12 villages reached 9.1 t/ha. On average SRI yields were 66% higher compared to the control plots with 5.49 t/ha and 87% higher compared to the surrounding rice fields with 4.86 t/ha (see report). During 2010, participation of volunteer farmers in Africare's SRI projects increased to 270 farmers in 28 villages with an average yield of 7.71 t/ha compared to 4.48 t/ha in farmers’ usual practice fields (a 72% yield increase). An irrigation test showed that under SRI practices, water savings can be expected to be at least 32%.

Africare also began working to adapt SRI principles to wheat during 2009. The "System of Wheat Intensification" (SWI) showed potential for significantly increasing yields levels, by developing better direct-seeding techniques, reduce the spacing between plants, and by targeting the optimal planting time (see report).

During the 2009/2010 season, USAID’s Integrated Initiatives for Economic Growth in Mali (IICEM) project introduced SRI methods into irrigated areas of Gao, Mopti, and Timbuktu (not already reached by Africare) as well as rainfed rice systems in the Sikasso region, with consistent yield increases and reduction in chemical fertilizer use by farmers (see report). During May 2011, InterAction, a Washington D.C.-based alliance of NGOs, awarded Africare the Best Practice Award for Natural Resources Management and Adaptation to Climate Change for its SRI work in the Timbuktu Region. Also during 2011, Kokou Zotoglo, the rice value chain leader for USAID/West Africa’s Expanded Agribusiness and Trade Promotion (USAID E-ATP) program, and Djiguiba Koyaté, his counterpart at USAID/Mali’s Integrated Initiatives for Economic Growth in Mali (USAID IICEM), were given the “Tiwara” (“Lion of Work” in Bambara) award from government and civil society leaders in the Circle of San in the Ségou region for their work promoting SRI.

On November 14-18, 2011, a sub-regional SRI training workshop was organized by Africare Mali in Goundam (in Mali's Timbuktu Region) with participants from Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali. During 2012-2013, a project carried out by the local NGO 3A-Sahel in conjunction with SRI Global and SRI-Rice at Cornell allowed 70 farmers in 7 villages to realize increases of 4.3 to 8 tons per hectare in spite of Mali's civil war during that year. Two additional phases followed in 2013 and 2014 that allowed additional scaling up to new villages and continuing support for the original villages. The final report notes that average yield increase of 63.36% over the usual farmer practice; 40 farmers were intensively trained, 166 received some training, and 71 received only minimal technical support.

During July 2012, the National Center of Specialization for Rice (NCOS Mali) at the Institut d'Économie Rurale (IER) co-organized a West Africa SRI Workshop in Burkina Faso that attracted 60 participants from 13 West African countries. The 3-year project, Improving and Scaling Up the System of Rice Intensification in West Africa (SRI-WAAPP), that evolved from the 2012 workshop formally began in 2014. SRI-WAAPP is an initiative of the World-Bank-funded West Africa Agricultural Projection Program (WAAPP). As of 2016, There are 115 sites where farmers have been trained in SRI methods by the project. (See map at right for locations). A Dec. 11 article in La Réussite Mali reports that SRI will contribute to an increase of 10% of the national rice production within ten years. This effort, assisted by the National System of Rice Intensification Program (PN-SRI) is expected to benefit 244,962 producers on one million hectares. In October 2021, the Adaptation Fund approved the SRI-based “Scaling up Climate Resilient Rice Production in West Africa” (RICOWAS) project which includes Mali and 12 other countries in the region.

Progress and Activities

2025 Updates

• Investors from Malian Diaspora Support Small-scale SRI Farmers in Mali

  [March 12, 2025] Among the new investments of Ciwara and Zira is SOPROTRILAD, a Malian company that provides over 3,000 small-scale farmers with inputs and buys the rice they harvest. (Ciwara Capital was set up with support from IFAD and EU funding and entirely owned by members of the Malian diaspora). IFAD’s INCLUSIF project has supported SOPROTRILAD in building relationships with rice cooperatives and introducing them to System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and other climate-smart production techniques. Ibrahima (left), president of a rice producers’ cooperative in Mopti in the Inner Niger Delta region, has signed an agreement with SOPROTRILAD. He says “...for a 0.25-hectare field, we used to use 13 kg of seeds, while with SRI we only use 2–3 kg. SRI uses less water, which reduces the use of motor pumps and saves fuel.” Meanwhile, production has risen. “Where we harvested between 20 and 25 bags of paddy rice, we now often get up to 34 bags. Although the technique requires more rigour, it is much more beneficial,” explains Ibrahima. [See full IFAD article for details.]

2023

• Roundtable Held to Support Operationalization of the National SRI Program (PN-SRI)

  [Febraury 21, 2023] According an article in the Nouvel Horizon, in order to ensure food and nutritional self-sufficiency in Mali and to export surplus rice to other horizons, the Grand Hotel in Bamako hosted a round table on February 17, between officials from the Ministry of Rural Development and technical and financial partners to support the operationalization of the national System of Rice Intensification program (PN – SRI).

2022

• Mali Included in Four-Year Regional SRI-Based RICOWAS Project

  [October 10, 2022] The Agro-Sylvo-Pastoral and Aquaculture Training Center of Mopti (CFASPAM) is one of five professional training centers in local irrigation responsible for training "cascade" producers in the region from Mopti to the SRI (Système de Riziculture Intensive) approach. It is part of the Green Innovation Centers (CIV) supported by German cooperation. From the phytosanitary treatment point of view, it takes into account the economic tolerance threshold for damage and takes into account the pest management dimension, for healthy and sustainable production, respectful of the environment. A network of green innovation centers has been established in 14 African countries, but also in India and Vietnam, to promote the agricultural and agri-food sector. In Mali, the target groups are the actors intervening in the various links of the value-added chains (CVA) rice, potato/market gardening, and mango, with particular emphasis on young people and women. The training of producers takes place in the region of Mopti, Inner Niger Delta, which is fed by the Niger River and its lakes including Lake Débo. It is a combination of rice cultivation associated with market gardening. Five local irrigation training centers, including CFASPAM, are the implementing partners of this vast program. Innovations are identified in a participatory manner with all stakeholders. SRI is a current system that is well known and mastered in the Mopti region. It has been popularized over the past five years through a program of the German Cooperation GIZ and specifically the Center for Green Innovations (CIV). It is a program implemented through local irrigation training centers throughout the territory. As part of strengthening the skills of intermediary actors and producers, the 5 local Irrigation Training Centers, including CFASPAM, have started training more than 100 intermediary actors and 7,800 producers on the practice of SRI and pest management. This will improve productivity and sustainably. What are the objectives of this training? The objective is to strengthen the skills of rice producers in the rice-growing basins, in particular the Central Niger Delta and specifically in the Mopti region. The expected results are among others: participants learned about the SRI+ Towed Seeder and Fertinova package; participants gained knowledge on the stages of SRI; production and yield have increased significantly; pest control techniques have improved and their costs have fallen; the environment is better protected; Who are the main actors and their roles? producers: learners, cascade training intermediary actors: trainers and producers involved local irrigation training centers (5): trainers technical and financial partners: GIZ, through the Green Innovation Centers program (funding, monitoring-evaluation and post-training monitoring) What are the main activities carried out? The training methods are based on cascade training: the supervisory staff at the level of the Regional Agricultural Technical Services who constitute a pool of trainers at the regional level. These trainers, who constitute the pool of trainers at the regional level, are then responsible for training producers, thus meeting the priority training needs initially identified. How were the b

2021

• Mali Included in Four-Year Regional SRI-Based RICOWAS Project

  [October 21, 2021] The Adaptation Fund (AF) has approved the “Scaling up Climate Resilient Rice Production in West Africa” (RICOWAS) project in October 2021. The four-year, $14 million effort, which emphasizes the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), is the largest regional project funded by the AF in Africa, covering thirteen ECOWAS countries. In Mali, the National Directorate of Agriculture (NDA) will be in charge of executing the project. The overall purpose of the initiative is to improve climate resilience and increase the productivity of the rice system of smallholder rice farmers in West Africa. Regionally, the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS), will oversee the project overall implementation. The Rice Regional Center of Specialization, hosted by the Institute of Rural Economy (IRE) of Mali, will be in charge of the regional level execution and will work in partnership with the Climate Resilient Farming Systems program at Cornell University. [See OSS article for more information.]

2020

• SRI May Contribute to an Increase of 10% of Mali's National Rice Production within Ten Years

  [December 11, 2020] A recent article in La Réussite Mali reports that SRI will contribute to an increase of 10% of the national rice production within ten years. This is expected to benefit 244,962 producers on one million hectares. The Center for Green Innovations for the Agro-Food Sector of GIZ Mali (CIV / GIZ-Mali) promoted the System of Intensive Rice Cultivation (SRI) during a sharing workshop of the National System of Rice Intensification Program (PN-SRI) on December 10. The objective of this German Development Cooperation (GIZ) initiative is to provide information to stakeholders and partners in the PN-SRI document so that everyone can fully play their role in its dissemination and adoption.

  The opening ceremony was chaired by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Mahmoud Ould Mohamed. Also present were the national director of agriculture, Adama Tamboura, representative of cluster for innovative agriculture and nutritional food security (AgrISAN / Passip), Jürgen Hörner, and the president of the Interprofessional Rice (Ifriz), Faliry Boly. "This SRI technique is a means of boosting rice production in Mali and a means of adaptation to climate change, in particular the scarcity of rainfall and the drop in the level of the Niger River," said the coordinator of the Rice Value Chain / Green Innovation Center, Djiguiba Kouyaté. In this regard, the PN-SRI is structured around the capitalization of methodological and technical achievements, the expansion of technical and financial partnerships and the strengthening of the technical and economic capacities of stakeholders. It [also] assists the highly mechanized scale-up of the SRI by removing the constraints to the development of all segments of the rice sector, boosting umbrella organizations, strengthening cooperation frameworks and inclusive partnerships, strengthening of the supervision and agricultural advisory capacities of the State. [See full article by Oumar Sankaré.]

2019

• 7,500 Farmers Trained in SRI Methods through Innovation Centre in Mali

  [June 17, 2019] The Innovation Centre in Mali advises farmers on the use of innovations in irrigation farming. This has improved the rice yield by almost 50 percent (2.8 tons/hectare compared with 1.9 tons/hectare using conventional cultivation methods). Around 7,500 farmers have already received further training in the resource-conserving ‘System of Rice Intensification (SRI)’ method, which reduces seed use by up to 80 percent and water consumption by up to 35 percent compared with traditional cultivation methods. Green Innovation Centres for the Agriculture and Food Sector (GIC) is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and is being implemented in India and a number of Africa countries, including Mali. The programme coordinates its activities with local ministries and cooperates with programmes under the One World - No Hunger initiative, as well as with bilateral German development cooperation programmes. [See article on the GIZ website.]

• Article on Recuperating Dynamism in Agriculture Shows SRI Adopters in Mali Increase Productivity while Achieving Cleaner Production

  [May 31, 2019] An article by Mwalupaso et al in the Journal of Cleaner Production Sustainable suggests that sustainable agricultural technologies have become a critical issue in the development policy agenda for Sub-Saharan Africa. In this article, the authors use cross-sectional data from rice farmers in Mali to show that adoption of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in Mali is capable of addressing low agricultural productivity and that adopters have a cleaner production than non-adopters. They also find that rice farmers that are most likely to adopt SRI methods are those who receive training and have control of their water supply. The policy implication is that, if all farmers adopted system of rice intensification, their efficiency would increase by 17% while waste in production would reduce to 4.8%. The study puts forward substantial empirical evidence to encourage the adoption of system of rice intensification as it could eventually enhance agricultural sustainability.[See article entitled Recuperating dynamism in agriculture through adoption of sustainable agricultural technology - Implications for cleaner production for more information.]

2018

• Field Day on SRI Held in Forgho

  [November 12, 2018] On November 8, 2018, the Regional Directorate of Agriculture of Gao, in partnership with the Green Innovation Center for the Agribusiness Sector (CIV) of the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), organized a field day on SRI. The showcase plot No. 10 of the late Abdoul Aziz Moussa in Forgho Almata (in the rural district of Soni Ali Ber) served as the center of this event which was chaired by the head of the statistical office monitoring-evaluation and communication to the Regional Directorate of Agriculture, Soumana Koïta. Also present were the assistant for the dissemination of the VICs, Karamoko Sanogo, the Regional Director of the Rural Engineering, Drissa Keita, the Mayor of the Soni Ali Ber commune, Abdul Razack Y. Maiga, as well as several farmers. According to the article in Maliactu.net, SRI's importance is that it can produce higher yields in addition to saving fertilizer, water and seeds. For instance, a farmer who can usually harvests 2-3 tons per hectare can obtain 5-6 tons with SRI if they can control their water use. As SRI has already proven be effective in Mali and other countries, the National Directorate of Agriculture through the regional directorates collaborates with GIZ to promote SRI in combination with other technologies such as Deep Placement of Urea and bio-fertilizers (organova, fernova, biostimulant). The results obtained are quite positive, with an average yield of 7.5 tons/ha and a growth rate ranging from 40 to 50% by contribution to the average yield in the PIV and an average yield of 2.5 tons/ha in the lowlands.

  Baillourou Abdoul Aziz Maiga, one of the producers practicing SRI, testifies that there is a big difference between SRI and conventional practice, especially in terms of seed: With the SRI, he transplanted one hectare with eight kg whereas with the conventional practice, it is more than 40kg. Also, with SRI he plants one plant per hill versus 2-4 seedlings per hill as is common with conventional practice. Finally, SRI is economical in terms of water. "I invite my fellow farmers to practice SRI, because it brings more than the conventional method," said Bachourou producer Abdoul Aziz. The mayor of the commune of Soni Ali Ber, Abdul Razack Maiga, says that his commune has 22,000 ha irrigable and has 108,000 farmers, fishermen and agro-fishermen. Here, with SRI and the assistance of PASSIP, the living conditions of the farmers has been improved and today they are no longer in exile because they manage to save money. He invited agricultural technicians and their partners to promote this practice and to support farmers. The assistant for the diffusion of the CIV, Karamoko Sanogo, indicated that the objective of this open day is to move toward a national program for the SRI farming system. Today, he argued, "we can say that rice is part of the staple food of the people of our country, but it turns out that in cultivating it, farmers are confronted with climatic and environmental problems. This is why we have found it necessary to bring in innovative techniques and technologies that take into account the environmental and climatic aspects and increase the production of farmers." [See French language article on the Maliactu website for more details.]

• Can A Hungry Mali Turn Rice Technology into "White Gold"?

  [October 19, 2018] An article by Dieneba Deme published by the Thomas Reuters Foundation considers the benefits of SRI for Mali. Here are some excerpts: "When rice farmers started producing yields nine times larger than normal in the Malian desert near Timbuktu a decade ago, a passerby could have mistaken the crop for another desert mirage. Rather, it was the result of an engineering feat that has left experts in this impoverished nation in awe - but one that has yet to spread widely through Mali’s farming community. “We must redouble efforts to get political leaders on board,” said Djiguiba Kouyaté, a coordinator in Mali for German development agency GIZ. With hunger a constant menace, Malians are cautiously turning to a controversial farming technique, known as rice intensification (SRI), to adapt to the effects of climate change. The method has raised hopes that Mali’s small-scale rice farmers might be able to increase their productivity to meet the country’s gargantuan appetite for the grain. SRI is used on both irrigated and non-irrigated land, meaning it is possible to cultivate rice even in Mali’s desert, pilots conducted by the U.S. Agency for International Development have shown. Up to 20 million farmers now use rice intensification in 61 countries."

  "Interest in SRI has mounted as droughts and erratic rainfall become more common, added urgency to efforts to create a steady stream of food from farmland to cooking pots. Mali is West Africa’s second-largest rice producer, but it still imports 18 percent of its rice annually, according to Abdoulaye Koureissi, national coordinator for a rice farmers platform. Imports prevent local production from reaching its full potential, he said. And longer droughts and other forms of unpredictable weather are destroying an ever-larger share of crops across this country. Malian authorities are looking for ways to reduce imports and become self-sufficient in rice, said Kouyaté at GIZ. For Faliry Boly, who heads a rice-growing association, the prospect of rice becoming a “white gold” for Mali should spur on authorities and farmers to adopt rice intensification. The method could increase yields while also offering a more environmentally-friendly alternative, including by replacing chemical fertilisers with organic ones, he said. What’s more, SRI naturally lends itself to Mali’s largely arid climate, he said."

  "Kouyaté said that rice intensification uses up to 40 percent less water than traditional rice growing methods. The European Union and other international funders have supported aid projects that encourage the practice in six of Mali’s administrative regions so far. This year, around 100 small-scale farmers were trained in the method through a GIZ-backed effort, Kouyaté said, and hundreds more have been trained in other areas of Mali. Yet, rice intensification has remained largely experimental, with no governmental policy in place to bolster the adoption of the practice, Kouyaté said. Another obstacle, experts say, is that many farmers using techniques hundreds of years old are often reluctant to try new ways of growing rice. And the cost of a rice transplanting machine - a key part of the system - is between $2,100 and $2,900, more than many farmers can afford. Koureissi, of the rice farmers’ platform, said he has also seen farmers discouraged by the time investment required to learn the new method, teach it to their farmhands and then practice it “(Rice intensification) asks for a lot of time spent in planting rice, because the seedlings are planted very young, 8 to 15 days old, maximum,” he said. But Sibiri Konaté, who has been farming rice for nearly three decades in Baguineda, a small town in the country’s south, said the new technique has changed his life. Konaté went across the country to get training on rice intensification from another farmer two years ago. On his four-hectare farm - part of a larger communal allocation - Konaté said he has seen his harvest jump from seven to 10 tonnes per hectare. Even in bad years 'I always manage' to get a harvest, he said. 'But it is difficult to get other farmers here to commit.' " [See full article. There is also a French language version.]

• Agronomie Africaine article Correlates Farming Practices and Yield

  [February 15, 2018] According to a 2017 article by Bagayoko et al in Agronomie Africaine, an exploratory study was conducted from 2008 to 2011 in the Office du Niger to determine the feasibility of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) cultural practice. The experiments consisted of 3 treatments: farmer practice (T1) ; SRI (T2) with 5 tons of manure and the recommended rate of mineral fertilizer and SRI with 5 tons of manure and half of the recommended dose of mineral fertilizer (T3). A total of 40 farmers were involved in the three year evaluation, in which large spatial and temporal variabilities were observed. Yields varied between 4.5 and 10 t /ha and more for SRI and between 3 and 8t t / ha for the conventional practice. There was a significant correlation between farming practices and yields, and between yields and soil factors (especially N and P). More than 60% of the variations in performance were due to the control of cultural practices and water management in both systems (conventional method and SRI). Because of large spatial variability of yields, it was concluded that the SRI can lead to low yields if proper cultural practices are not followed.

2016 Updates

• SRI Training Sites Expanded Under SRI-WAAPP

  [May 23, 2016] SRI continues to expand the areas of Mali where rice is cultivated, as can be seen in the SRI-WAAPP project site map above. The map, which is current as of 2016, shows 115 sites where farmers have received training in SRI since the project formally began in 2014. A recent article on the WAAPP website explains that farmers have adopted SRI in order to increase production, but have also used less seed. With traditional methods, farmers were planting 120 kg of seeds and receiving yields of 3-4 tonnes/ha, but with SRI, farmers have used only 15 kg of seeds and received 8-8.5 tons/ha. The increased production is also reducing the amount of rice that has to be imported into Mali.

2015 Updates

• Continued Success for 3A-Sahel's SRI Project Near Douentza

  [February 2015] Following on successful 2012 and 2013 SRI projects, a third renewal of the 3A-Sahel SRI project near Douentza, Mali, took place during 2014 and was concluded as of January 2015. The final phase of the SRI Global grant, which was funded by the Bridging Peace Foundation, included large-scale dissemination of SRI from May 2014 through January 2015 in the villages of Deri, Kokoro, Koundioume, Sobbo, N'Dempaba, Saréféré Mirgna, and Douentza in the Djaptodj, and Douentza communes, in the zone of Douentza, Mali. These activities allowed rice farmers in the area to learn about and appreciate SRI and to achieve an average yield increase of 63.36% over the usual farmer practice. Some formal training was provided to 166 farmers, and 40 farmers growing rice on 10 hectares were intensely trained and supported by the technical staff. In addition, 71 farmers used SRI techniques to grow rice on 23.75 hectares, with only minimal technical support. See the final 2014-2015 summary project report or the full length French language report for more information. [Previous reports are also available on the first phase (2012-2013), which introduced SRI in ten villages in the region, and the second phase (2013-2014), which introduced SRI to six additional villages while scaling up SRI in seven other villages where it had already been introduced.]

2014

• Mali Represented in SRI Events in Thailand

  [November 10, 2014] Gaoussou Traoré (West Africa Agricultural Production Program, WAAPP), Minamba Bagayoko (WAAPP / Institute for Economic Research (IER)) and Ousmane Djire (Societe Cooperative Artisanale des Forgerons de l’Office du Niger) made presentations at the Workshop on Smallholder Crop Production Equipment for SRI, held November 1-3, 2014, at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Pathumthani, Thailand. In addition to the equipment event, which was attended by 60 participants from 12 countries, they also participated in the Workshop on Building Alliances around SRI and Agro-Ecology (October 26-27, 2014) and the 4th International Rice Congress and Workshop (October 27-31, 2014), both of which were held in Bangkok, Thailand.

• Successful SRI Project in Douentza Winds Down

  [March 2014] The 3A-Sahel SRI project near Douentza, Mali, reported on its introductory trials in the villages of Amba, Batouma, Kiro, N'dempaba, Deri, and Douentza during the first half of 2013, which were followed by scaling up dissemination of SRI from June through December 2013 in the villages of Boré, Falembougou, Manko, Kokoro, Saréféré Mirgna, Koundioume and Sobbo in the Dangol Boré, Djaptodj, and Douentza communes, all of which are located in the zone of Douentza, Mali. Overall yields using SRI techniques were 51% higher than yields obtained from the usual farmer practices in the area. A follow up project is under consideration. (See final 2013 project report).

• Improving and Scaling Up SRI in West Africa Project Begins Its First Phase

  [January 2014] Improving and Scaling up the System of Rice Intensification in West Africa is in the 3-year first phase of a regional World Bank-financed project to increase rice productivity throughout a 13-country Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) area. The project, which includes Mali, is part of the larger West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP). The project is designed to increase rice yields by 30% in targeted areas in each of the participating countries by strengthening the human and institutional capacities, by focusing on innovation and development of SRI practices and technologies that are adapted to the local environment, and by facilitating knowledge exchange and meeting the demand for knowledge among the stakeholders associated with the rice value chain. The development and extension of technologies and methodologies for increasing the productivity for each crop or set of crops in the WAAPP is delegated to individual focal institutions across the region; the Government of Mali’s Institut d'Économie Rurale (IER) is the designated National Center of Specialization in Rice (CNS-Riz), and is responsible for the majority of the rice components of the WAAPP. As part of their mandate to improve rice productivity across the region, CNS-Riz has teamed up with Cornell University’s SRI-Rice to implement the regional project on Improving and Scaling up the System of Rice Intensification in West Africa.’ (See project website.)

2013

• Project in Douentza Succeeds Despite the War in Mali

  [April 2013] A project co-sponsored by SRI Global and SRI-Rice was carried out by the local NGO 3A-Sahel continued to operate successfully in Mali during 2012 despite occupation by the Islamic jihadists who swept down from the north. The introductory SRI trials from June through December 2012 in the villages of Boré, Falembougou, Manko, Kokoro, Saréféré Mirgna, Koundioume and Sobbo in the Dangol Boré and Djaptodji communes, in the zone of Douentza, Mali. SRI yields ranged from 6 to 11 tons per hectare, and controls from 2 to 6 tons. SRI yields were from 2 to 6 tons higher than controls. SRI-Rice helped design and analyze the data sheets for the project. Press reports of the project were reported in the Cornell Chronicle (January), PeriodiCALS magazine (March) and Farming Matters (March). (See also 2012 project report to SRI Global).

• The 3A Sahel in Mali was continued during 2013, starting with some organizational meetings with the farmers (see photos at right). Building on the 2012 pilot project, which was successful in testing SRI with 70 farmers in 7 villages (despite being the middle of a war zone), 3A Sahel is working to expand use of SRI to all 254 rice farmers in these seven villages, and also to introduce SRI to 60 farmers in 6 new villages. While the 2012 project continued on despite its location in the middle of a war zone, the area is now free of control by the jihadists, who fled following intervention by French and government of Mali forces early in 2013. (See SRI Global Facebook page for more information).

1999-2012 -see Mali activity archives

Reports and Evaluations

• Graf, Sarah Lena, and Carlos Oya. 2021. Is the system of rice intensification (SRI) pro poor? Labour, class and technological change in West Africa. Agricultural Systems 193: 103229
• Mariko, Korotoumou, et al. Stochastic Meta Frontier analysis of smallholder rice farmers’ technical efficiency. Journal of Agricultural Science 11(8): 31-44. doi:10.5539/jas.v11n8p31
• Mwalupaso, G. E., et al. 2019. Recuperating dynamism in agriculture through adoption of sustainable agricultural technology - Implications for cleaner production. Journal of Cleaner Production (in press), doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.05.366
• Bagayoko, M., G. Traore, O. Samake. 2017. Variabilite spatiale des rendements du riz en systeme de riziculture intensive (SRI) en zone office du Niger au Mali. Agronomie Africaine 29(2): 137-147. [accessed February 13, 2018]
• Adohoun, Cyril. 2017. Mali : Rétrospectives sur l’agriculture de 2013 à 2017 : Que d’ambitions en actes. MaliAddtu.net, September 4.
• Guindo, Hamidou. 2015. Vulgarisation du Systeme de Riziculture Intensif (SRI) dans les Communes de Djaptodji et Douentza dan le Cercle de Douentza (Region Mo Pti) - Campagne Agricole 2014-2015. SRI-Rice website. March 2. (8p., 600KB pdf) [French language final report on an SRI project near Douentza, Mali. The project was a grant from SRI Global , Inc., which was granted the NGO 3A-Sahel with funding from the Bridging Peace Foundation.]
• Guindo, Hamidou. 2015. Final Report, Grant to 3A - Sahel from SRI Global Inc. SRI-Rice website. February. [English translation from French by Edward Baxter.]
• Guindo, Hamidou. 2014. Final Report, Grant to 3A - Sahel from SRI Global Inc. SRI-Rice website. February. [English translation from French by Edward Baxter.]
• 2013. Reaping success in war-torn Mali. Periodicals 3(1): 4 [SRI project in Mali progresses despite war]
• SRI-Rice. 2013. Farmers succeed despite war in Mali. Cornell Chronicle. January 24. [SRI project in Mali increases yields in the war zone.]
• Guindo, Hamidou. 2013. Final report, grant to 3A - Sahel from SRI Global Inc. System of Rice Intensification website. January 1. [English translation from French by Edward Baxter.]
• Rappocciolo,  Francesca. 2012. Spreading the System of Rice Intensification across east and southern Africa. IFAD website. November. (22p., pdf)
• Mans, Darius. 2012. Africare thrives in spite of conflict. Africare website. October 16. [no longer online]
• Bagayoko, M. 2012. Effects of plant density, organic matter and nitrogen rates on rice yields in the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in the "Office du Niger" in Mali. ARPN Journal of Agricultural and Biological Science 7(8): 620-632.
• Cole, David. 2012. More from less: Adopting an innovative rice system in Mali. One website. April 17.
• Africare. 2011. Rapport de synthese altelier sous regional sur le Systeme de Riziculture Intensif (SRI). System of Rice Intensification website. December. [French language report of a sub-regional SRI workshop in Goundam, Timbuktu, that was organized by Africare Mali, Nov. 14-18, 2011. Participants from Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali.]
• Africare. 2011. Africare’s System of Rice Intensification Project (SRI) wins InterAction Best Practice Award. Highbeam research website. May 23.
• InterAction. 2011. InterAction announces BPI award winners. InterAction website. May 4. [Africare receives Best Practice Award for Natural Resources Management and Adaptation to Climate Change]
• Africare. 2011. Our results: The Timbuktu Food Security Initiative. Africare website.
• Dembélé, Douba. 2011. Production de riz à Ségou: L’IICEM introduit de nouveaux matériaux de production. MaliWeb website. March 14. [Source: YEKO]
• USAID. 2011. Regional and bilateral missions bring new rice-growing method to field. USAID West Africa website. March 14. [no longer online]
• Styger, Erika, Goumar Aboubacrine, Malick Attaher, and Norman Uphoff. 2011. The system of rice intensification as a sustainable agricultural innovation: introducing, adapting and scaling up a system of rice intensification practices in the Timbuktu region of Mali. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 9:67-75. DOI: 10.3763/ijas.2010.0549 [Note: DOI may not yet be operational]
• Styger, Erika, Malick Ag Attaher, Hamidou Guindo, Harouna Ibrahim, Mahamane Diaty, Ibrahima Abba and Mohamed Traoré. 2011. Application of system of rice intensification practices in the arid environment of the Timbuktu region in Mali. Paddy and Water Environment 9:137-144. doi: 10.1007/s10333-010-0237-z
• Styger, Erika, Malick Ag Attaher, Hamidou Guindo, Harouna Ibrahim, Mahamane Diaty, Ibrahima Abba and Mohamed Traoré. 2010. System of Rice Intensification (SRI) versus farmer practice -- A comparative evaluation in the Timbuktu region of Mali. Presentation at the Second Africa Rice Congress, Bamako, Mali, March 22-26.
• USAID. 2010. First person: Farmer returns to rice. Integrated Initiatives for Economic Growth in Mali (IICEM) website.[no longer online]
• Styger, Erika. 2010. Introducing the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) to irrigated systems in Gao, Mopti, Timbuktu and to
  rainfed systems in Sikasso - 2009/2010. System of Rice Intensification website. April 10. (33p., 7.3MB pdf) [Report for Abt. Associates on USAID’s Integrated Initiatives for Economic Growth in Mali (IICEM) projects working with rice in the northern regions of Mopti, Timbuktu and Gao in irrigated systems, and in the southern region of Sikasso in rainfed systems.]
• Oxfam/WWF/Africare. 2010. Farmers Leading the Way from Crisis to Resilience Global Farmer Perspectives on the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). System of Rice Intensification website. October. [Oxfam/WWF/Africare brochure available as 2p pdf of 4p brochure (626KB) or reconstructed sequential 5p. pdf (1.26MB)]
• Styger, Erika. 2010. Scaling-up the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in Goundam and Dire, Timbuktu 2009/2010. System of Rice Intensification website. February 28. (35p., 11.93MB pdf) [Africare initiative funded by Better U Foundation and USAID]
• Styger, Erika and H. Ibrahim. 2009. The System of Wheat Intensification (SWI): Initial test by farmers in Goundam and Dire, Timbuktu, Mali 2009. Timbuktu Food Security Initiative (TFSI), Africare and USAID, Bamako, Mali. System of Rice Intensification website. September 9. (23p., 949 KB pdf)
• Styger, Erika. 2009. System of Rice Intensification (SRI) - Community-based evaluation in Goundam and Dire Circles, Timbuktu, Mali, 2008/2009. Africare, Bamako, Mali. System of Rice Intensification website. (35p., 4.02MB pdf)
  French version: Système de Riziculture Intensive (SRI) - Évaluation communautaire dans les Cercles de Goundam et de Dire, Tombouctou, Mali, 2008/2009. (50p, 4.04MB pdf)
• 2008. First Experiences from Timbuktu - Mali: Farmer-led SRI test in Goundam - 2007/2008. GFSI Project, Africare, Mali. System of Rice Intensification website. (8p., 4.5MB pdf) [see also French version]
• SRI Timbuktu Website
• Stoop, Willem A. 2003. The System of Rice Intensification from Madagascar: Myth or missed opportunity? System of Rice Intensification website. March 3-15. (16p., 210KB) [Report on a study visit by Willem A. Stoop to the "Hauts Plateaux" region of Madagascar]

Blog and News Articles

• 2025. Investment from Malians abroad supports farmers back home. IFAD website, rural voices section. March 13.
• 2023. Mise en oeuvre du programme national Systeme Riziculture Intensif (PR-SRI) : Le Ministère du Développement Rural et les PTF en conclave pour assurer l'opérationnalisation du programme (Implementation of the National System of Rice Intensification Program (PR-SRI): The Ministry of Rural Development and the TFPs in conclave to ensure the operationalization of the program). MaliActu.net . February 21.
• *Dwyer, Augusta. 2021. From West Africa, here comes the next miracle grain: fonio. Global Landscape Forum website. January 7.
• Sankaré, Oumar. 2020. Système de riziculture intensive : Une technique pour accroître la production du riz. La Réussite Mali, December 11. [The Center for Green Innovations for the Agro-Food Sector of GIZ Mali (CIV / GIZ-Mali) promoted SRI during a workshop of the National Intensive Rice Cultivation System Program (PN-SRI).]
  December 7, 2020,(Mali)
• Coulibaly, Dramane. 2020. Office riz Mopti : Malgré les inondations, l’espoir est permis. DePeches du Mali, October 1. [In the rice area of Mali's Mopti region, govt reports that 400+ producers (1/3 women) have received training, particularly in SRI as supported by CIV/GIZ.]
• Diabaté, Mariam F. 2019. Agriculture le projet farm offredes guides de bonnes pratiques agricoles. BAMADA.net. June 26. [At the Canadian-Malian FARM project ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Ag.,"best practices guides" were distributed on various techniques including SRI.]
• Université de Ségou atelier dinformation sur les innovations dans les CVA et CIV [Segou University hosted a workshop on Green Innovation Centers of Segou that included SRI. Participants undertook a stakeholder mapping exercise to reinforce links between the university and extension services that serve farmers.]
  June 20, 2019, BAMADA.net (Mali)
• Beege, Bastian (contact), 2019. Green Innovation Centres for the Agriculture and Food Sector (GIC). GIZ website. [GIC project, a Germna govt. project in many countires, rejports to have trained 7,500 farmers in Mali in SRI in conjnction with an irrigation initatitive.]
• Touré, Abdourhamane. 2018. Mali: Gao: Journée porte ouverte sur le SRI à Forgho. Maliactu.net, November 12
• 2018. Système de riziculture intensive au Mali peut-il être transformé en «or blanc»? BAMADA.net, October 19, 2018.
• Deme, Dieneba, and Sebastien Malo2018. FEATURE - Can a hungry Mali turn rice technology into "white gold"? Reuters, October 9.

• 2018. Système de Riziculture Intensive (SRI) - septembre 16 - septembre 21. Agroforma website. September 4. [Announcement of a five-day workshop in Niono, Mali.]
• 2018. Système de Riziculture Intensive (SRI) - août 27 - août 31. Agroforma website. August 14.. [Announcement of a five-day workshop in Niono, Mali.]
• 2018. Off-Season rice fends off Malian farmers from climate stress. CORAF website. May 11.
• 2018. SRI is Increasing Farmer’s Incomes in Mali. West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program website. February 14. [Based on of an article first published in FoodTank.]
• Dolo, Modibo. 2016. Riziculture au Mali: A la croisée des innovations. Bamada.net, October 1. [Science Journalists Network (RJS) together with PASSIP brought a dozen journalists to San September 23-24 to meet with farmers using SRI, which is becoming a national benchmark.]
• Keïta, Moïse. 2016. Promotion du Système de Riziculture Intensif (SRI): Le GIZ chez les riziculteurs de la plaine aménagée de San Ouest. BAMADA.net (Mali). September 26. [GIZ with the network of science journalists organized a visit to the rice growers association in West San (ARPASO)]
  September 26, 2016,
• Coulibaly, M. 2016. Mali: Plaine de San ouest: Le salut par la diversification des cultures de contre-saison, MaliActu.net. April 26.
• WAAPP. 2016. SRI: Giving new life to rice production by closing productivity gap in Mali. West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP) website. April.
• 2015. System of Rice Intensification in Mali. Agroecology Case Studies. Oakland Institute website. November. [Co-published by the Institute and the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA).]
• 2015. Atelier National de Coordination et d’échange sur la riziculture : L’USAID s’implique pour la promotion du système riziculture intensif au Mali. MaliJet.com, April 21. [An SRI workshop, held April 17-18 at CICB in Mali] (Mali) [Also available on MaliWeb]
• Styglinger, Matt. 2011. Innovation of the Week: Researchers Find Farmers Applying Rice Innovations to Their Wheat Crops. Nourishing the Plant blog. May 19.
• Hauser, Kelly. 2010. Interview: Malian rice farmer uses SRI to get more from less. One blog. October 22.
• Tangara, Seydou. 2010. Systeme de Riziculture Intensif: Des experts sur le terrain. Primature website (official portal of Mali Government), August 18.

Practical Information

• Zotoglo, Kokou, and Djiguiba Kouyaté. 2011. Manuel de formation Système de Riziculture Intensive (SRI). USAID website. (14p. pdf) [French language SRI manual by USAID/Afrique de l’Ouest and USAID/Mali [accessed January 4, 2018]
• PASSIP. 2016. Module 15: Système de Riziculture Intensive (SRI). Curriculum d'apprentis sage production et post production du riz. PASSIP website. (22p., 5.3MB pdf) [SRI training material from the Programme d/Appui au Sous-Secteur de l'Irrigation de Proximite (PASSIP), a government irrigation program in Mali carried out in conjunction with GIZ and other donor agencies. [accessed March 2016]
• Styger, Erika, M. A. Attaher, H. Guindo, H. Ibrahim, I. Abba, M. Diaty, M. Traoré and M.S. Mahamar. 2009. Fiche Technique pour le Système de Riziculture Intensive (SRI) à Tombouctou, Mali. Africare, Bamako, Mali. System of Rice Intensification website. (27p., 1.89MB pdf)

Slide and Poster Presentations

• Traoré, Goussou, and Erika Styger. 2015. 1507 - Improving and Scaling Up SRI in West Africa - A Success Story. Presented at the SRI-Rice Seminar Series, Cornell University, September 15, 2015. 32 slides. [uploaded September 9, 2015]
• Demba, Moussa Ag. How SRI has changed the life of a farmer in Timbuktu - A story. Interaction website.12 slides. [Presentation by a farmer from the Timbuktu Food Security Initiative (TFSI), sponsored by Africare-Mali, Bamako]
• Styger, Erika. 2010. Impact of SRI practices in cropping system resilience to fluctuating climate conditions in Timbuktu Region, Mali. Poster presentation at the 3rd International Rice Congress, held in Hanoi, November 2010, in Hanoi, Vietnam.
• Styger, Erika. 2010. System of Rice Intensification (SRI) - Producing more rice with less inputs - 3 years of experience from Mali. PowerPoint presentation at the First ECHO West Africa Networking Forum, September 21-23, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. 37 slides.
• Styger, Erika. 2010. System of Rice Intensification (SRI) Three years experience in Mali 2007-2009. PowerPoint presentation at the videoconference on Climate Adaptation: Producing More Crops per Drop of Water and with Less Input - Knowledge Sharing on System of Rice Intensification (SRI), February 9. [French version: Système de Riziculture Intensive (SRI) Trois années d’expérience au Mali 2007-2009] 24 slides.
• Styger, Erika. 2009. Community-Based Assessment of SRI in 12 Villages with 60 Farmers in Goundam and Dire, Timbuktu. Africare, Bamako, Mali. 17 slides.
• Additional presentations can be found on the Mali Slideshare Presentation Page.

Videos

• 2018 (December 12). How do you feed a world dealing with climate change? | The Question. 4:00 min. CBC website. [Video by the Canadian Broadcasting Company about the pros and cons of promoting SRI globally, with focus on West Africa]
• 2017 (March 1). Semoir Phillipin. 3:12 min. Khadidia Ba channel. YouTube. [WAAPP/CNRA video on the production/use of the drum seeder video in Mali. French.]
• 2017 (March 1). Riziculture Intensive. 3:04 min. Khadidia Ba channel. YouTube. [WAAPP/CNRA SRI video from Mali. French.]
• 2013 (December 6). Reinforcing food security in Timbuktu. 3:56 min. Abt Associates channel, YouTube. [IICEM, USAID/Mali's cornerstone economic growth program under the U.S. government's Feed the Future initiative, talks about SRI, rice inputs and markets in Timbuktu.]
• 2012. The First West Africa SRI Workshop (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso): Mali (Fr) -Dr Gaoussou Traoré. Produced by SRI-Rice. sricornell channel, YouTube. 4:42 min. [Interview with workshop Leader and coordinator, Dr Gaoussou Traoré, National Center of Specialization for Rice (NCOS Mali)]
• 2012. The First West Africa SRI Workshop (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso): Mali (Fr) - Dr Minamba Bagayoko. Produced by SRI-Rice. sricornell channel, YouTube. 1:26 min. [Interview with Dr. Minamba Bagayoko, Scientist, IER, Niono, Mali]
• 2012. The First West Africa SRI Workshop (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso): Mali (Fr) - Mamadou Sissakom. Produced by SRI-Rice. sricornell channel, YouTube. 3:06 min. [Interview with workshop Mamadou Sissakom, large-scale SRI farmer, Niono, Mali.]
• Harouna, Ibrahim. 2011 (August 8). SRI Timbuktu Song. sricornell channel, YouTube. 10.01 min. [French language song about SRI performed in Goundam, Timbuktu, Mali, by Oumar Malle, Harouna Ibrahim (Africare SRI technician), and Allassane.]
• Hauser, Kelly. 2010 (October 22). Mali Rice Farmer Moussa Ag Demba's Speech on SRI. TheOneCampaign channel, YouTube. 3:00 min. [ONE allies Africare, Oxfam, and World Wildlife Foundation brought three farmers from Mali, Vietnam and India to Washington, DC to speak at the House of Representatives and at the International Trade Center about a style of rice farming that is little-known but rapidly spreading.]

Photo Archive

• Photo collections by Erika Styger are available on the SRI Timbuktu Website and the SRI Timbuktu Blog
• Additional photos by Erika Styger and her colleagues in Mali are available in the SRI-Rice photo collection can be seen in the slideshow running in the summary section at the top of the page. If you do not have Flash installed, click here to see individual photos which are made available on Picasaweb. (Also note slideshow feature).