The project supports the National Programme for Small-scale Irrigation (PNIP) focussing on the development of the irrigable agricultural potential in the Dogon country and in Koulikoro, along with offices in Ouélessébougou and the Inner Delta (in the regions of Mopti and Timbuktu, IPRODI Component). The objective of the project is to contribute to the development of sustainable and profitable agriculture and to the strengthening of food security, for the benefit of economic and social stability in Mali. In total, more than 81,000 smallholder households have benefitted from the various measures to date. The following main activities are implemented since 2015 (start of funding): - Construction of small-scale irrigation infrastructure on more than 460 sites, e.g. micro-dams, water-spreading weirs, village irrigation schemes, ponds and small-scale market gardening schemes (SMPs), including pilot SMPs with solar pumps, for a potential area of more than 35,000 ha;
- Consolidation / rehabilitation of infrastructure on more than 480 sites for a potential area of more than 34,000 ha;
- Construction / rehabilitation of 166 km of rural roads;
- Construction of 30 storage warehouses with a total capacity of 5,600 t;
- Implementation of soil and water conservation measures: environmental protection works and anti-erosion measures such as sills, stone barriers and reforestation, implementation of biological protection of the irrigation schemes (windbreaks and hedgerows);
- Supply of agricultural equipment (bins, carts, motor pumps, etc.) and inputs (seeds, fertilisers, etc.);
- Mobilisation and support to the population, including water user associations (WUAs) / farmers' organisations (management committees, cooperative societies), in all phases of implementation and with a view to the operation, maintenance and valorisation of these infrastructures. In total, more than 40,000 people have participated in the various trainings to date.
The implementation of the project has inter alia been characterised by the following principles: - Co-management of all measures: The Project Implementation Units are managed by a Regional Coordinator and an International Coordinator, and the project collaborates with the decentralised technical services for the implementation of several activities;
- The remote management, monitoring and verification (RMMV) of the IPRODI and REAGIR Pays Dogon Components, given the fragile security situation in the intervention zones;
- The participatory approach, which guarantees the empowerment of the beneficiary populations and the appropriation of the infrastructures by their users;
- The promotion of women through special attention to gender (e.g. minimum quotas for the use of land developed by women, for members of the management committees, and training).
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