Our Results

The Timbuktu Food Security Initiative

Stand Out Results:

  • Average rice yields tripled from 3 metric tons per hectare to 9 metric tons per hectare.
  • Water requirements for farming decreased by up to 34 percent.
  • Application of organic fertilizer reduced synthetic fertilizer use by 30 percent.
  • Reduced reliance on chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides decreased input-associated (labor and capital) costs by 23 percent.
  • Income generated per hectare increased by 68 percent, per household unit.
  • Women’s participation in village-level decision-making bodies increased by 500 percent.
  • The number of months of adequate household food provisioning increased on average by 60 percent per household.


Project:The Timbuktu Food Security Initiative

Budget: Approximately $11 million             

Funders:USAID

Country/Timeframe: Mali / FY08-13 (ongoing)

The Problem:   In Mali, the Timbuktu Region is the most prone to chronic food insecurity. Households in this region produce food only 4 months per year due to weak annual rainfall, declining yields, increasing soil infertility from desertification, and extreme climatic variability.

Long Term Goal: To increase the sustainability and resiliency of food security systems across the Timbuktu Region, particularly through increased utilization of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) methodology.


Project Objectives:

  • Increase community capacity to manage risks and cope with shocks.
  • Improve household access to food, and increase area under irrigated production.
  • Improve rice productivity using SRI methodology.
  • Encourage local adoption by integrating agricultural research into field trials.
  • Improve the health and nutritional status of vulnerable populations.

Direct Beneficiaries: 91,000 individuals. 2,480 of which will benefit from the SRI initiative.