Mali L4G Monthly Report: July 2015

L4G staff continued to select and recruit Private Vets, with four candidates undergoing a written and practical test on July 6. Dr. Amadou Mahamadou, Livestock Veterinarian Consultant, administered the practical test and developed the written exams. One candidate fully passed both tests and was approved as a Private Vet for L4G, indicating potential participation in the Smallholder Veterinary Productivity Program (SVPP). Dr. Amadou also trained 31 Auxiliary Vets for five days on internal and external livestock parasites and parasite life cycles, as well as diagnostic, treatment, and prevention of principal livestock diseases. Additionally, he presented a five-day training to 48 people, including 22 women, on the first two SVPP L4G modules to become Auxiliary Vets. Many of the women participating in the training were students or graduates of IFP Bankass and were from L4G activity zones. L4G also trained 49 delegates from the Women's Livestock as a Business Platform (WLBP) and Youth Livestock as a Business Platform (YLBP) on June 29-30 in Bankass. The training focused on opening bank accounts, collective savings to support group business activities, and financial management. Participants presented financial reports and money management plans, with 27 women attending the WLBP event and seven young women and 15 young men attending the YLBP. In the area of forage production, L4G sponsored a three-day training for seed multipliers from July 8-10 in Bankass. The trainer was M. Issa Dao, Sub-Sector Head of Agriculture for Kani-bonzon Commune, with co-facilitation support from L4G Koro and Bankass Cercle Coordinators. Twenty-eight participants attended, including 12 women, with the goal of building a basic cadre of community-based service providers who can produce certified seed locally. Seed multipliers will work with L4G and Ministry of Agriculture authorities to produce stocks of improved varieties. The Koro Cercle trained 24 seed multipliers, including ten women, from June 24-26 at Pel Village with L4G support. L4G Coordinator signed contracts with 16 trained seed multipliers in Koro to multiply RRB groundnuts, KVX cowpeas, Bambara Nut, and millet variety HKP. Areas under contract ranged from ½ ha to 2 ha per multiplier. L4G offices distributed a total of 6,078 kg of forage seeds, including 1,303 kg to seed multipliers. In the area of pastureland and water resources management, an L4G technician trained 35 people, including ten women, in contour ridge farming in Sokanda (Bankass Cercle, Dimbal commune). Sokanda is ideal for this technique due to its clay soils, sloping land, and noted soil erosion problems. L4G will track the comparative yields before and after the installation of the contour ridge technology to determine impact. Water Management committees in Ende 1, Ende 2, and Oualia villages continued to carry out routine structure maintenance under the guidance of the Mayor of Kani-bonzon. In the area of community literacy, numeracy, nutrition, and hygiene practices, L4G trained 52 Village Animators, including 24 women, on village group participatory, non-formal adult training techniques, malnutrition, and the three principle food groups and their role in human nutrition from June 25-28. Market linkages and access were strengthened through L4G's preparation and dissemination of a report listing cattle markets, market days, and times, and the state of existing infrastructure for stakeholders in Koro and Bankass Cercles. L4G field staff identified and studied the strengths and weaknesses of eight livestock markets in Koro and Bankass Cercles from June 28 to July 4. All of the existing market infrastructures except Koro Town lacked arrangements and hangers to facilitate livestock trade and amenities for traders and buyers. The L4G Trade and Market Linkages Specialist and Capacity Building Specialist produced a report on barriers and constraints to trade for L4G clients and other stakeholders. Major findings included poor quality and inconsistent supply of animals, weak financing for livestock marketing, livestock passage corridors not organized for efficient delivery, and dilapidated markets. Strengthened capacity of livestock value chain actors was a focus of L4G's activities, with the program requesting OVM (Ordre Régional des Vétérinaires du Mopti) and FOFBEV (Fédération des Organisations de la Filière Bétail Viande de Mopti) to present terms of reference for an in-depth diagnostic of their operations and management by