ANCHORING INNOVATIONS ALONG THE MANGO AND POTATO VALUE CHAIN

In 2014, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) launched the special initiative “ONE WORLD without Hunger”. Under this umbrella, the mango and potato value chain were chosen to be strengthened by the Green Innovation Centre in Mali.

Since January 2017, AFC in consortium with ECO Consult elaborated innovations to push the mango and potato value chain. Seven innovations were promoted along both value chains until now. As the end of our mandate is announced for September 2023, the team has embarked on a process of developing and implementing strategies for anchoring innovations in 2022 to ensure the sustainability of its support. The aim is to ensure that partners take ownership of, use and care for these innovations in an autonomous way.

An organisational model was set up, which included a strategy committee and core groups. The objective of the strategy committee was to steer the development and implementation of sustainable anchoring strategies for innovations in the context of the progressive phasing out of the Green Innovation Centre project. On operational level, the core groups were in charge of formulating and putting the strategies in place by innovation or by group of innovations.

During the preparation phase, the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders were defined, an inventory made of what is available and an outline for drafting the strategy formulated. The next step implied the co-creation of innovative strategies. Joint sessions of core groups with partner leaders were organised in which the pre-validation of strategies took place. After the finalisation and validation sessions with key stakeholders, the strategy was shared with all relevant partners.

The innovative strategies were jointly put in place through certain priority activities of the action plans, co-financing of the activities with the partners, and round tables with the technical and financial partners how to turn the action plans into practice. The development of strategies was a participatory learning process for the value chain actors. It helped to put the central question of sustainability of the actions carried out since 2017 back on the table and to plan the closure of the Green Innovation Centre in general and AFC’s exit in particular.

The National Directorate of Agriculture (NDA) has also taken ownership of the different strategies and focal points are responsible for monitoring implementation. The latter will work in close collaboration with the innovation carriers designated in the sector associations (interprofessions). For example, the approach of integrated management of ware potato production has been transferred to the national confederation of potato producers in Mali. This structure – affiliated to the potato interprofession of Mali – is the NDA’s interlocutor for the implementation of the strategy to anchor this innovation. In relation to the mango value chain, the integrated fruit fly management is entrusted to the family of mango producers.

For the mango and potato value chain, seven anchoring strategies and their accompanying action plans have been established. The seven strategies comprise:

• Integrated management of table potato production

• Warehousing of table potatoes

• Local multiplication of seed potatoes

• Good agricultural practices for mango production and orchard maintenance

• Integrated fruit fly management

• Good harvesting and post-harvest practices for mangoes

Quality approach for small and medium enterprises in the mango value chain

The anchoring strategies enabled our team to better plan its withdrawal and the closure of the project in consultation with the Green Innovation Centre and GIZ, the NDA and its partners. One of the major challenges remains the mobilisation of financial resources for the implementation of the action plans of the different anchoring strategies. To facilitate the resource mobilisation along the value chains, the State and the technical and financial partners, our team will support inter-stakeholder negotiations.

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