Mali Livestock for Growth (L4g) Monthly Report No

MALI LIVESTOCK FOR GROWTH (L4G)

MONTHLY REPORT NO. 18 APRIL 2016

APRIL 2016 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by AECOM.

Mali L4G Monthly Report: April 2016 Contract: AID-688-C-14-00004
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MALI LIVESTOCK FOR GROWTH (L4G)

MONTHLY REPORT NO. 18 APRIL 2016

Contract Number:

AID-688-C-14-00004

Submitted to:

USAID Mali

Prepared by:

AECOM International Development

DISCLAIMER:

The authors’ views expressed in this document do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States

Agency for International Development or the United States Government.

April 2016 Monthly Report / Mali Livestock for Growth (L4G)

COMPONENT 1. LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION

1.1ENHANCED TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION, DISSEMINATION, AND
MANAGEMENT

 L4G provided two forage choppers on credit to two women-only Producer Organizations (POs) that

are members of the Women’s Livestock as a Business Platforms, Edjuko in Pel Commune, Koro

Cercle and Amakene from Koulogo, Bankass Cercle. This initiative permits 462 women members of the PO beneficiaries to increase their income. In the next month, L4G will work with the women to develop equipment maintenance plans and profit projection plans.

1.2INCREASED ACCESS TO QUALITY INPUTS AND SERVICES

 During the month of April, the Koro private vet and his auxiliary partner vaccinated 800 beef cattle with the Pastobov vaccine and 3,700 sheep with the Pastovin vaccine. Private vets and their auxiliary partners in Bankass Cercle vaccinated 293 cattle for ppcb, 773 cattle with Pastobov and 1,908 sheep with Pastovin vaccines.

 April 12th: Senior L4G managers (COP, DCOP, PM, and M&E Specialist) met with Bank of Africa
(BOA) officials in Mopti, including the BOA Branch Director, Mr. Bamoussa BERETE, and Assistant Manager Mr. Abdoulaye SISSOK to discuss options for securing credit for L4G clients. The requirements to secure funding through BOA include:

− L4G clients must open their account at BOA (no charge); − Payment of 2,050 FCFA monthly fee to keep the account operational; − Loan duration is from 3 to 6 months for animal fattening; − Interest rate 11% to 12%, (rate negotiable); in a second meeting with BOA, interest rate was lowered to 10%.

− Clients are required to share the risk on the loan; the starting point is loan guarantee fund of
DCA; BOA may share some of the risk (only negotiable at Bamako BOA level).

 April 15th – Senior L4G Managers and IESC Senior Staff (Bamako) met to discuss to the logistics of working with BOA for credit access. A BOA priority for 2016 is to provide loans to registered

women’s cooperatives and producer organizations. BOA wants to sign MOUs with groups for lending procedures that L4G recommends as “bankable”. The main constraint to moving forward

with lending is to determine the risk sharing arrangements. Understandably, borrowers will be required to share part of the risk; many L4G POs already manage informal collective savings and lending programs which may assist groups with meeting the qualification for the loan guarantee mechanisms. On April 20th, IESC, BOA, and L4G USAID COR met to negotiate terms of L4G client lending. Based on the meeting, next steps are for IESC and L4G to develop a risk sharing proposal and present this proposal to BOA. L4G and IESC will conduct an assessment on L4G clients to determine which clients meet the qualifications and include in the proposal.

 April 7th: Senior L4G Managers met with Farm Radio International (Bamako) to discuss options for radio programming in local languages and increasing use of radio to provide extension services to L4G clients. L4G is recruiting an ICT4Dev consultant to help develop overall strategy and solutions for integration of ICT.

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1.3IMPROVED PASTURELAND AND WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

 March 31st to April 2nd: In collaboration with Regional Directorate for Production and Industry
Animal (DRPIA) Mopti and L4G staff, 63 people (3 women) from Koro District—including the District Préfet, Assistant Préfets, Commune Mayors, traditional leaders, livestock keepers, herders, buyers, the local radio, the Association of Professional Peasant Farmer Organizations (AOPP), and the private vet—conducted a diagnostic workshop to propose strategies for improving various livestock value chains links. The objective of the workshop was to grow livestock productivity in general; improve livestock commercialization; increase investment in the livestock sector; and create jobs through actions to rehabilitate and improve management of livestock markets, pasture lands management, water points, livestock passage corridors, and cattle treatment chutes. Participants identified priorities for each VC link and actions plans to address constraints. Additionally, the group identified and classified 80 livestock water points for Central and Southwest Koro.

 April 13th: Water Specialist Pierre Roy arrived for a three week STTA to conduct the water point assessments study.. Mr. Roy is working with a local Malian consultant from AKVO who has been contracted to provide local expertise and to conduct the water point inspection visits. Based on the Consultants’ initial queries and findings, the L4G strategy will be to rebuild watering systems at existing livestock markets and, once rehabilitated, transfer their management to local producer organizations. In parallel, L4G and our livestock value chain actors will rehabilitate water ponds located along the path where a transhumance route superimposes on a local commercial route (high Tropical Livestock Unit – TLSU) in those paths. Finally, in good grazing areas where there is no livestock water point, L4G will engage herders to encourage them to adopt modern grazing area management procedures.

 April 7th: L4G met with USAID MCCAA CoP Mr. Jeff Ratcliffe to discuss and finalize the MCCAA and L4G MOU. MCCAA and L4G also plan to work together to install more rain gauges and train more community-level data collectors on proper rainfall data collection techniques. A working meeting is scheduled on April 22nd to identify specific activities.

COMMUNAL AUTHORITIES LEAD A DISCUSSION WITH LOCAL
ACTORS ON IMPROVING LIVESTOCK MARKET MANAGEMENT, AT THE KORO CERCLE DIAGNOSTIC WORKSHOP, KORO MARCH
31 - APRIL 2, 2016.
PARTICIPANTS AND COMMUNAL AUTHORITIES DISCUSS
ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF PASTURE LANDS AT THE DIAGNOSTIC WORKSHOP HELD FOR KORO
CERCLE, MARCH 31 - APRIL 2, 2016

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1.4IMPROVED COMMUNITY LITERACY, NUMERACY, NUTRITION AND
HYGIENE PRACTICES

 April 6th and 7th: 49 participants (leaders and members from 25 POs in the Communes of Dimbal and Kani Bonzon (Bankass District) met at the Institute for Professional Formation (IFP) to learn, hands-on, recipes that use Moringa leaves as the primary ingredient. The L4G Nutrition Specialist and the Gender Specialist conducted the training. The expected impact is that PO members and leaders can now easily prepare and consume Moringa-enriched meals to reduce malnutrition and increase

HANDS-ON TRAINING ON MORINGA BASED RECIPES AND

consumption of foods high in protein, vitamins, and minerals from accessible and

DEMONSTRATION AT BANKASS APRIL 7.

locally available and accessible production. The other expected impact is that PO leaders and members will sensitize and train on use of Moringa leaves in their respective villages.

The next steps in the activity are: − Cascade training to members of the groups in attendance and to other groups so as to reach all
L4G zones where Moringa can be grown.

− Carry out follow-on missions to ensure that more households are incorporating Moringa into the daily diet.

− This activity aids to track the L4G indicator on the number of households observed to be applying improved nutritional practices. Interest in Moringa is increasing as members of the platforms have expressed a need for 6,000 additional plants of Moringa.

COMPONENT II. LIVESTOCK TRADE

2.1 STRENGTHENED MARKET LINKAGES AND ACCESS

 April 13th-15th: L4G staff trained ten (10) livestock market managers and seven auxiliary vets on techniques for data collection (LMIS) for markets located at Koro, Koporo Pen, Douna, Bankass, Diallassagou, Ouenkoro, and Koulogon. The objective of this training workshop was to train market managers and auxiliary vets on use of and filling out registers to collect market information; learn to analyze data; store data in a consistent and accessible manner; and disseminate livestock market information to actors and stakeholders.

 March 17th -18th: Respective workshops were held in Koro and Bankass Cercles to determine PO and Livestock as a Business Platform members’ needs for animal fattening credit and other investments, as well as to determine the need surrounding improved seed variety under the 2016 rain-fed production campaign. For Koro, 73 persons (55 women) attended. For Bankass 137 persons

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(63 women) attended. The objective of these meetings was to identify the credit needs of L4G clients. L4G also met with the IESC USAID project, “Mali Finance for Food Security and Women Entrepreneurs Program” to discuss solutions to increasing access to credit for L4G clients including: negotiating reasonable interest rates between L4G POs and the Bank of Africa (BOA), and negotiating security deposits.

2.2 DECREASED BARRIERS TO TRADE

 March 29th: L4G COP and DCOP met with West Africa Trade Hub representatives (Mr. Bill Noble and Mr. Seydou Sidibé), in Bamako, to review results of Tabaski exports to Senegal, constraints, and

lessons learned. The meeting also discussed Trade Hub’s work with the National Association of Meat

Producers, Traders, and Processors (FEBEVIM) and how L4G can build a stronger working relationship with FEBEVIM.

 March 30 and April 6: L4G Managers met with the National Association of Meat Producers, Traders, and Processors (FEBEVIM) to discuss strengthening of the working relationship to improve internal management capacity of the latter and to promote livestock exports and internal marketing within

Mali. FEBEVIM reports that Senegal requires 750,000 sheep for Tabaski, Cote d’Ivoire 500,000 sheep,

and Guinea Conakry 500,000. Also discussed was the way forward for FEBEVIM and L4G to develop and implement a Partnership Plan. On April 8th L4G provided a draft plan to FEBEVIM and they in turn responded with comments back to L4G. A mission for FEBEVIM to scope location, types, and quantities of sheep available in Bankass and Koro for export is planned for FEBEVIM for the 24th to 27th April. The FEBEVIM scoping mission to Senegal and Conakry is tentatively scheduled for the week of May 23 to May 27. FEBEVIM has already made the initial contacts with their counterparts and the Government partners for the two countries.

COMPONENT IV. STRENGTHENED LOCAL CAPACITIES AND SYSTEMS

4.2 STRENGTHENED CAPACITY OF LIVESTOCK VALUE CHAIN ACTORS

 April 11th - 14th: L4G Senior Technical Staff conducted a protocol and informational meeting with the administrative heads of Bandiagara, Djenné, and Mopti Cercles, apprising them on the L4G program activities’ expansion into to their zones. The authorities contacted include:

− 3 Prefects (Bandiagara, Djenné, and Mopti) − 7 Mayors (Communes of Dandoli, Dourou, Sokoura, Sio, Fakala, Dandougou Fakala, and Madiama), − 4 General Secretaries of the mayors’ offices (Dandoli, Sokoura, Sio, Fakala), − 4 Commune advisors (Sokoura and Sio) − 2 Presidents of the Cercle Advisory Council (Djenné and Mopti) − 3 Heads of the local Service for Production and Animal Industry (SLPIA) - (Bandiagara, Djenné and Mopti),

− The General Director (DRPIA Mopti). Information on L4G shared with government leaders includes: context and objectives of the USAID L4G project; the criteria and selection process for choosing expansion communes; the L4G

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approach (work with and build the capacity of POs and other actors in the on-the-hoof meat value chain); choosing and training Village Animators (50 percent women and 50 percent men to ensure gender balance); choosing and training Auxiliary Vets who must work under the supervision of Private Vets to facilitate access to veterinary services; L4G’s inclusive approach of supporting and building the capacity of women, youth, and teenage girls; and L4G’s business and value chain philosophy and methodology. L4G will host expansion stakeholders working group meetings to identify communities in the new communes the weeks of April 18-26. Additionally, L4G distributed program brochures, terms of reference for upcoming workshops to inform community and group leaders and to choose new L4G villages, and an overview of the L4G Program for 2014 - 2019.

CROSS CUTTING ACTIVITIES MONITORING AND EVALUATION

 April 5th- 6th: The M&E Specialist participated in a USAID Mali training workshop (Bamako) with implementing partner (including: CVC, MSI, MCCAA, World Bank, AECOM/L4G, MSV, CMDT, AVRDC, IFDC, CRS, AKF, ICRISAT, and IOS Partners) to to develop a common understanding for specific FtF indicators, to resolve problems of data collection and quality control of data, and to present M&E best practices. L4G is in the process of revamping its M&E system and has recruited Agriculture M&E Specialist Edna Ogwangi to review and updated M&E data

PRÉSENTATION DES TRAVAUX DU GROUPE III PAR LE M&E L4G AU COURS

collection forms, develop internal DQA,

DE L’ATELIER M&E ORGANISÉ PAR L’USAID À BAMAKO 05/04/2016

create baseline for measuring the sale of goats, and update PIRS. Additionally L4G will be transitioning to an electronic M&E data collection system using the AKVO model. Development of the M&E system is scheduled to commence in May 2016 and expected deployment in June 2016.

 April 7th: The M&E Specialist participated in a DQA on the indicator 4.5.2(43): Number of firms
(excluding farms) or CSOs engaged in agricultural and food security-related manufacturing and

services now operating more profitably (at or above cost) because of USG assistance (RIA)’’. USAID

recommended conducting a baseline study to determine firm profitability before program interventions.

MANAGEMENT

 April 12th: L4G participated in the USAID partners meeting for the Mopti region.  L4G increased efforts to recruit new positions for the expansion.

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U.S. Agency for International Development/ www.usaid.gov