Faso Jigi: A People's Hope

"Today, we can afford to dream," trainer Abdoulaye Sissouma says optimistically, boasting about the progress of one of Mali's largest farmers organizations. "Faso Jigi now has close to 5,000 members, organized into 134 cooperatives. Together, they produce an annual total of 28,000 tonnes of grain. They market more than 7,000 tonnes and have an annual sales volume of 1.4 billion CFAF [African Financial Community francs, or about C$3 million]."

Faso Jigi is an organization created in the 1990s as part of the liberalization of Mali's grain market. At the time, the grain market faced enormous challenges. Prices were distorted. Credit was hard to obtain. Producers had little leverage to bargain with buyers. The organization now makes it easier for rice, millet, sorghum, and maize producers to obtain farm loans, a fair price for their produce, and thus, a more stable income.

In Bambara, the language of nearly 60 percent of Mali's population, faso jigi means "a people's hope." Some members of the organization suggest another translation: "A place where people can rely on themselves."

Funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) through the Grain Marketing Support Project in Mali and supported by their Quebec counterparts from the Union des producteurs agricoles ― Développement international (UPA-DI), farmers in agricultural areas of Ségou obtain guaranteed loans. They enjoy more favourable interest rates. They buy seed and fertilizer at a better price. Finally, they can hope to manage their own affairs. "Faso Jigi is a reliable and very important organization," says financial controller Issaka Dolo. "Pretty soon, we'll break even!"

That means Faso Jigi can be fully independent, administratively, organizationally, and financially. But it also means Faso Jigi's influence will be felt throughout Mali. Faso Jigi will form part of a national strategy. The organization also enjoys an enviable reputation: people come from Guinea, Niger, and Burkina Faso to learn from Faso Jigi.

The shallot industry

Faso Jigi is a democratic movement that listens respectfully to its members. It includes a dozen cooperatives that produce shallots. These cooperatives have partnered to market their crops collectively.

Because women face constraints that their male counterparts do not (women do not have access to land ownership and inputs, and are burdened by family responsibilities), they have pooled their efforts and human resources―and fertilizer―to make their businesses a success.
"In the past, women managed the best they could on their own and could scarcely earn enough to support their children," explains Alimatou Touré, the organization's gender equality and development consultant. "Today, women boost their production and cut their losses. They market what they produce. They can even put a little money aside."

Thanks to the support of CIDA and UPA-DI, market gardeners in the little village of Kanabougou, near Ségou, can now store their shallots in sheds for six to seven months. They can thus market their produce over a longer period and avoid having to sell surpluses at a loss.

The women of Kanabougou and surrounding areas have thus been introduced to the dynamics of organizing themselves. They are better able to decide their future. This has changed their lives. Once, they were timid and shy; now, they are self-confident and work together. At Faso Jigi's last annual general meeting, a woman was elected to the board of directors. This has inspired other women to dream of running as candidates themselves. "I'm thinking about it," a young villager says enthusiastically. "We know we must learn to stand on our own, and we're going to keep moving in that direction."

Find out more about marketing farm produce in Mali: Crops find their place in the sun