Mali is set to receive a sum of US $30million to support efforts to build to build climate resilience in semi-arid areas.
The loan will be by the International Development Association (IDA). It will aid in the implementation of the Project for the Development of Agricultural Productivity and Diversification in the Semi-Arid Zones of Mali (PDAZAM).
PDAZAM
PDAZAM, initiated by the Malian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, aims to improve agricultural yields and strengthen the resilience of households living in arid areas. These additional funds will cover the costs of an emergency response to food insecurity as well as those generated by inflationary pressures, due in part to the Ukrainian crisis and insecurity. The project activities target the poor and vulnerable, including women, young people, and internally displaced persons.
PDAZAM will be able to assist a larger number of eligible recipients in the intervention area, i.e., the regions of Kayes, Koulikoro, Ségou, Mopti, and elsewhere in the event of a food crisis declaration. The rapid spread of food insecurity across the country has led to the emergence of affected areas needing support.
“These additional resources will increase the number of households receiving direct cash transfers from about 40,000 to 193,000 households, and will help alleviate the food insecurity they face. With women playing a dominant role in subsistence farming and in the sale of processed foods in rural and urban markets, the households headed by them and women farmers will be targeted to amplify the benefits of the project,” said Clara De Sousa, World Bank Country Director for Mali.
