Scaling Up the Farmer Hub Business Model in Partnership with Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agricultural Service Delivery in Mali

Under the AICCRA-Mali project, AfricaRice and its implementation partner ACAD-MALI conducted activities to scale up the Farmer Hub (FH) business model to improve climate-smart agricultural service delivery, promote youth entrepreneurship, and strengthen women’s economic empowerment in Mali. The intervention focused on testing and scaling an integrated agricultural service model capable of providing smallholder farmers with access to quality seedlings, agricultural advisory services, mechanization support, climate-smart technologies, and digital agricultural tools. As part of the initiative, two greenhouse-based Farmer Hubs were established in the production zones of Sélingué and Maninkoura to support year-round production of vegetable seedlings and market garden products. The intervention demonstrated strong economic potential during the pilot phase, generating a cumulative turnover of 6,312,250 FCFA between 2024 and 2025 through the sale of seedlings and horticultural products. The Farmer Hub model contributed to improving local access to agricultural services, strengthening market-oriented production systems, creating income-generating opportunities for youth and women, and improving resilience of farming systems through climate-smart technologies and digital advisory services.