Quarterly Report: Integrated Initiatives for Economic Growth in Mali (IICEM)

and its partners, aims to promote economic growth in Mali by increasing efficiency in five value chains: rice, potatoes, mangoes, shallots, and tomatoes. The project focuses on improving efficiency at key stages of the value chain, enhancing access to finance, and introducing improved technologies. The strategic objectives of the project include expansion and rehabilitation of irrigated agriculture, enhancing access to finance, and improving access to markets and trade. The IICEM value chain approach involves analyzing end markets for each target commodity, mapping the value chain from input suppliers through producers, marketers, processors, and retailers, and identifying constraints within the chain to meeting the identified market needs. The work plan outlines the activities IICEM will implement to address these constraints. In the third quarter of the project's second year, IICEM made significant progress in the rice value chain. The project began irrigation infrastructure rehabilitation at all sites, which will enable a reduction in production costs and improve rice productivity over 1259 hectares of Irrigated Village Perimeters. This will result in a rise in incomes for farmers. IICEM also developed relationships between technical government partners, such as DRA, CRA, and DRGR, to facilitate the rehabilitation of irrigation infrastructure. The project introduced improved water management through the rehabilitation of irrigation infrastructure, which will improve rice productivity and reduce production costs. In addition to the rice value chain, IICEM made progress in other value chains, including potatoes, mangoes, shallots, and tomatoes. The project focused on expanding the area under some form of water management, intensifying agricultural production, and facilitating access to markets. The IICEM project also emphasized the importance of promoting equality between men and women in project activities and building capacity in local institutions to ensure sustainability. This quarter, there was highlighted participation of women in sectors such as lowland rice farming in the Sikasso region and shallot production in the Dogon Plateau and Lake Horo zones. The project's technical approach involves fostering the development of vertical and horizontal relationships among actors involved in the value chain. Activities are intended to bring about increased output more attuned to market needs, improve access to markets and finance, and improve the business environment, leading to expanded opportunities and increased incomes for small holder farmers. IICEM's focus on the following areas emerged as critical in the five selected value chains: expanding the area under some form of water management, intensifying agricultural production, assisting farmers to obtain financing, facilitating access to markets, and improving the agricultural, business, and investment environments. The project's progress in the third quarter of the second year is presented in the report, organized by value chain and intermediate result. The report highlights the achievements of IICEM in promoting economic growth in Mali and improving the efficiency of the value chains.