| Sumario: | Climate change impacts remain a significant risk to rice production in Mali, affecting rice productivity and farmers' livelihoods. Pilot programs of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) innovations have shown that the use of drought- and flood–tolerant rice varieties, combined with good agricultural practices and integrated pest management, is key to increasing rice yields during periods of climate risk. Given the need for sustained scaling of CSA innovations in rice production systems in Mali, a one-day capacity-building workshop was held on the 19th of November in Bamako. With over 8980 farmers having adopted climate-smart rice varieties (about 54% of whom are women) between 2022 and 2025, the workshop aims to continue promoting the widespread adoption of improved seeds. The workshop also aimed to build the capacity of lead farmers, extension agents, service providers, partner NGOs, and government agencies in integrated practices for climate-smart rice varieties, good agricultural practices, and pest and disease management, which are key to increased rice yields and climate resilience. The workshop also identified key constraints to scaling and adoption of bundle CSA practices, highlighting insights and lessons learned from scaling innovations between 2022 and 2025 and identifying areas for improvement.
A workshop held on 19 November 2025 in Bamako convened researchers, extension agents, service providers, seed producers, and lead farmers to share evidence and lessons learned from the scaling process. Among the 21 participants at the workshop, 30% were women. Presentations focused on varietal improvement, production techniques, farmers’ field experiences, and persistent constraints, including seed cold-storage limitations, the mineral-fertilizer dependence of hybrids, and gaps in agroecological integration. The highly interactive sessions, conducted in Bambara and French, revealed strong farmer engagement, deepened understanding of climate-resilient technologies, and identified priority areas for improvement. The workshop highlighted significant progress made between 2022 and 2025. It underscored the importance of capacity building, inclusive learning platforms, and sustained investment in research for development to achieve rice self-sufficiency and climate resilience in Mali.
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