Mali Great Green Wall Initiative –Country Review Suggested citation Mentz, S. and Karambiri, M. 2022. The Great Green Wall Initiative in Mali Country Review. Bogor, Indonesia: Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and Nairobi: World Agroforestry (ICRAF). Produced by KANDS Collective hello@kandscollective.com Acknowledgements This work was carried out with support from the CGIAR Initiative on Climate Resilience, ClimBeR. We would like to thank the Belgium Federal Public Services (FPS) Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation and all funders who supported this research through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund. Knowledge series Through the sub-grant, the Centre for International Forestry Research-World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) have supported ClimBeR through extensive stakeholder consultation on the four focus countries, Senegal, Mali, Ethiopia and Sudan. In addition to the focus countries, regional engagement and a series of virtual events and stakeholder interviews have been synthesised into the knowledge series. We would like to thank the time and expertise from stakeholders for interviews, workshops, regional events and sharing their insights towards this important project. In addition, thank you to the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) for providing results of research undertaken in 2021/22 in Sudan and Ethiopia in phase 1 of the project. ClimBeR ClimBeR seeks to address challenges to adaptation by small-holder farmers through science and innovation aimed at transforming the climate adaptation capacity of food, land, and water systems, working closely with partners at the local, national, regional, and global levels. ClimBeR focuses on generating knowledge to unlock public and private finance, foster climate- and peace-sensitive policies and backstop the Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI), Africa’s flagship programme to address climate change and desertification. https://www.cgiar.org/research/publication/ initiative-overview-climber-building-systemic- resilience-against-climate-variability-and- extremes/ 1 Contents 1 Overview of the Great Green Wall Agency in Mali 4 2 Main bottlenecks for the implementation of the GGW initiative 10 3 Stakeholders relevant to the Great Green Wall initiative 18 4 Major land restoration and climate change initiatives 32 5 Bibliography 39 2 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN MALI Abbreviations and acronyms AEDD Environment and Sustainable LOA Agricultural Orientation Law Development Agency M&E Monitoring and Evaluation ALP Agricultural Land Policy MAEP Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and ANGMV- National Agency of the Great Green Wall Fisheries Mali of Mali MEADD Ministry of Environment, Sanitation and ANR Assisted Natural Regeneration Sustainable Development APGMV Pan-African Agency of the Great Green NAP National Adaption Plan Wall NDC Nationally Determined Contribution BOAD West African Development Bank PNAE National Environmental Protection Policy CAP- National Political Framework for the Great ANGMV Green Wall Alliance PDA Agricultural Development Policy CBD International Convention on Biological PLNCD National Plan for the Fight Against Diversity Desertification CNE National Environment Council PNCC National Policy on Climate Change CREDD Strategic Framework for Economic PNF National Forest Policy Recovery and Sustainable Development PNG National Gender Policy CSCRP Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategic Framework PNISA National Agricultural Sector Investment Programme CSI-GDT Action Plan and Strategic Investment Framework for Sustainable Land Management PNS-Mali Mali’s National Drought Plan ECOWAP ECOWAS Common Agricultural Policy POA Professional Agricultural Organisation FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation SDGs Sustainable Development Goals GGW Great Green Wall SLM Sustainable Land Management GGW-A Great Green Wall Accelerator UGMV Management Unit of the Great Green Wall HCC High Council for Decentralized Entities (Haut Conseil des Collectivités) UNCCD United National Convention to Combat Desertification ICAT Initiative for Climate Action Transparency UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change IDA International Development Association (World Bank) WAEMU West African Economic and Monetary Union LDN Land Degradation Neutrality COUNTRY REVIEW 3 © World Agroforestry 4 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN MALI 1 Overview of the Great Green Wall Agency in Mali © World Agroforestry Mali’s participation in the GGW initiative falls within the The ANGMV works with the Agency for Environment and continued implementation of its National Plan for the Fight Sustainable Development (AEDD) which is the designated Against Desertification (PLNCD), adopted in October National Authority for all financial mechanisms in Mali. It 1985. The Mali government created a Management Unit of oversees the Nationally Determines Contribution (NDC) the Great Green Wall (UGMV) in March 2016. The UGMV and is the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) focal was hosted by the Forestry Department. The UGMV was point. It therefore plays a key role in identifying funding later transformed into the National Agency of the Great opportunities for the ANGMV. The institutional dynamic Green Wall (ANGMV-Mali) by the government in 2019 between the AEDD and the AGMV is clearly laid out in (Traoré et al, 2021). a partnership framework established between the two agencies. With regards to the GGW, Mali has fulfilled the following commitments: Until recently, the structure was reported to have limited connection with other departments. At the end of each • Signing the agreement establishing the GGW (June year, the Agency would ask the various relevant ministerial 2010) departments about their achievements so that they could • Ratifying the GMV Convention (October 2011) be included in the annual report. However, the ministerial • Creating a GGW National Agency (September 2019), partners did not know exactly what information was establishing the organisation and operating procedures expected, which affected the completeness and cohesion of the Agency, and defining its role and responsibilities of reporting. At the end of 2021, the Agency developed a • Holding the first session of the Board of Directors of the reporting framework clarifying which locations are part the Agency (April 2020) GMV geographic focus and the expected outputs (Keita, • Setting up the platform for women and youth personal communication, 2022). While this has improved • Setting up the National Alliance of the GGW reporting, the impacts on the ground carried over to 2021 (December 2021) remain limited (see below). • Holding the first virtual meeting of the GGW Alliance (early 2022) In December 2021, a ministerial decree established the National Political Framework for the GGW Alliance (Cadre The ANGMV-Mali reports to the Ministry of Environment, Politique de l’Alliance nationale de Ia Grande Muraille Sanitation and Sustainable Development. The Agency is Verte) (CAP-ANGMV) (see section on platforms below). headed by a Director General, a position currently held by Mr. Toumany Diallo, who was nominated to this function in March 2021. He was the third director nominated in three years, an indication of a high turnover in the leadership Geography of the Agency and potential loss of institutional memory. Several ministries are partner departments and members In Mali, the GGW extends over a length of 2 066 km and a of the political framework of the National Alliance of the width of 215 km, crossing eight administrative regions, 24 GGW, which is chaired by the Prime Minister (see below). districts, 204 municipalities and more than 2 622 villages (Figure 1). This zone has a population of about 4 million people. COUNTRY REVIEW 5 Figure 1: Map of the GGW zone in Mali Source: Traoré et al, 2021. Scope and ambitions of the Organisational structure GGW in Mali The agency is composed of four departments: The objectives of the GGW in Mali are to combat • The Department for Strengthening the Resilience of desertification, support natural resource management and Ecosystems and Communities; poverty alleviation, and promote the development of the • The Department of Planning, Monitoring and Sahara-Sahelian zone. To achieve this, the GGW aims at Evaluation; restoring about 30.4 million ha in the GGW intervention • The Department to Strengthen the Production Base for zone. Agro-silvo-pastoralism; and, • The Department of Finance, Equipment and Human The National Agency of Mali works along five strategic axes Resources (African Union 2022): i. Institutional, technical and financial capacity-building of stakeholders on climate and biodiversity; ii. Knowledge management and sharing, including finding support and communication; iii. Protection, rehabilitation and management of land; iv. Income-generating activities, investments and subsidies; and v. Coordination, monitoring and evaluation. The GGW is required to share a summary of its achievements as part of the preparation of the annual report on the implementation of the National Environmental Protection Policy (PNAE). 6 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN MALI Figure 2: Mali’s National Agency of the Great Green Wall (ANGMV) DIRECTEUR/TRICE GÉNÉRAL(E) DE L’ANGMW Auditeur/trice interne Secrétaire Particulier(e) Agence comptable Conseiller/ére en mobilisation des ressources 1 Chargé(e) de Réigie Responsable Genre Directeur/trice Général(e) Responsable de la Communication et relations publiques DEPARTEMENT: DEPARTEMENT: RENFORCEMENT DE LA DEPARTEMENT: RENFORCEMENT DES BASES DEPARTEMENT: RESILIENCE DES ECOSYSTEMES ET PLANIFICATION SUIVI/EVALUATION DE PRODUCTION-AGRO SYLVO FINANCES, MATERIEL ET DES COMMUNAUTES PASTORALES RESSOURCES HUMAINES Section 1: Lutte contre Section 1: Plantification et Section 1: Renforcement des Section 1: Section la désertivication et le Suivi/Evalution bases de prduction Agro sylvo Approvisionement Changement climatique pastorale 2 Chargés(es) plantification 3 Chargés(es) et suivi 2 Chargés(es) (Approvisionement) 2 Chargés(es) (GDT et (aménagements et Energie remouvelable) infrastructures agro sylvo Section 2: SIG et Base de pastorale et de la mise en Section 2: Ressources données place des Fermes Agricoles Humaines/secrétariat général Section 2: Protection et Communautralres Integrées valorisation de la biodiversité 2 Chargés(es) (SIG et Base (FACI) 1 Chargé(e) (Ressources de données) humaines) 2 Chargés(es) (Biodiversité et surveillance écologique. Section 2: Recherche & Aménagement des ressources développement fauniques et halleutiques) Section 3: Finances 2 Chargés(es) (Innovation en lien avec les institutions de 2 Chargé(es) (Budget, recherche. Vulgarisation en Engagement/Mandatement) lien avec le développement communautaire) Secrétares Développement des filliéres Planton Chauffeurs Source: Avril, 2020 Operational challenges Achievements to date The main challenge the Agency is faced with is a lack of Over the past few years project implementation of the resources. According to Traoré “the Agency is running GGW has taken place in a challenging context. The on projects and programme funding because the following factors have adversely impacted the Agency’s government’s allocated budget covers only the Agency’s overall performance in the implementation of its activities operating costs” (Traoré et al, 2021). As the Agency does and the mobilisation of financial resources: not have staff it can allocate to field activities, it relies on service providers and the field staff of the Ministry of • The country’s institutional political transition process; Environment when it has activities. This puts more strain on • The security situation in the country; and, Ministerial staff, as the GGW-related activities are carried • The COVID-19 pandemic, which has constrained without the transfer of additional funds (for example, to opportunities for partnership development and travel to GGW sites). The rural development directorate resource mobilisation. expressed the wish that state structures that work with the Agency at the level of all the communes be provided The 2020 GGW Global Report (UNCCD, 2020) states with dedicated GGW agents or at least that they would be that Mali had restored just over 6 000 ha of land (as of given the means to meaningfully support GGW actions on 2019), broken down as follows: 6 297 ha of reforested the ground (Keita, personal communication, 2022). land, 120 ha of restored land, 41 ha under assisted natural regeneration (ANR) and 18 ha of dune rehabilitation. Institutional coordination is a challenge and there have also These achievements required the production of 146 million been difficulties related to a lack of institutional leadership. seedlings/plants and resulted in the training of 1 200 However, with the recent change in leadership, the Agency people and the creation of 21 487 jobs. has the opportunity to address these challenges (Bayala and Toure, personal communication, 2022). However, this reporting contrasts with the very meagre onsite achievements reported for 2021, with the planting of only 20 hectares carried out through an undisclosed service provider (Ministry of Environment, 2021). COUNTRY REVIEW 7 Total funding allocated to the GGW in Mali as of 2019 supporting the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green amounted to US$3.3 million domestic funding and Wall (APGMV) Member States in establishing their US$23.4 million international funding (UNCCD, 2020). In baseline situation. 2021, the Agency reported that its operational budget was • The World Bank’s “Resilient Landscapes” project, which 300 million CFA francs (roughly US$ 475,000) with some is in the final stages of development and covers the operational shortfall having been covered by the Ministry Malian portion of the wall. of Environment (Ministry of Environment, 2021). • A Mali-EU Joint Programming agreement was put in place in 2021 for the period 2021-2024. Country-specific needs for technical assistance, capacity National Platforms building and advisory services After Senegal, Mali is the second country to have established a national political framework for the GGW In a survey issued by the UNCCD Accelerator to GGW Alliance (Cadre Politique de l’Alliance nationale de Ia countries between November 2021 and January 2022, Grande Muraille Verte - CAP-ANGMV), by ministerial asking about their needs for technical assistance to decree in December 2021. Its mission is to ensure the advance implementation of the GGW, Mali expressed: realization of the GGW at the national level. The Alliance is governed by the Prime Minister’s Office, which convenes • A “very high” need for undertaking a needs assessment annual meetings, and with the Ministry of Environment, related to its strategy development and project which provides secretarial services for the Alliance. Its key identification; and, objectives are as follows: • A “high” need for assistance in project preparation, project submission and approval • To support the national GGW Agency with the development of partnerships and the sharing of Mali also identified other support needs, although these information at the national and sub-regional level were classified as less urgent, including assistance with for the purpose of converging interventions and 1) fostering a more coordinated GGW approach in- coordinating actors around the GGW; country, 2) interacting with other agencies and actors, 3) • To mobilize human and financial resources emanating the development of a national platform, and 4) fostering from the various sectors concerned around the GGW; absorptive capacity of donor funds. and, • To evaluate and provide guidance on the implementation of GGW activities. Funding of bankable projects The establishment of the political GGW Alliance is linked to GGW being supported by the UNCCD GGW-Accelerator (GGW-A). The Alliance includes representation from 18 The Agency is extremely reliant on external sources of ministries, as well as technical and financial partners for funding. While international funding far exceeds domestic environment and rural development. This consultation funding, it still falls short of the Agency’s needs. All framework requires state resources to become functional projects related to the GGW being implemented in Mali at the national, district and municipal levels. To date, the are regional projects, none are being implemented with Alliance has convened a virtual meeting but has not yet a sole focus on Mali. However, it appears that in 2022 been able to host an in-person meeting (Diallo, personal things have been shifting, with many strategic partners re- communication, 2022). engaging Mali on the GGW. At the technical level, the Alliance is to focus on the In 2022, under the eighth replenishment of resources coordination committees at the community level, so that of the GEF Trust Fund (GEF-8), Mali’s stakeholders have the monitoring and evaluation, capitalization, resource been working to establish a portfolio for the GGW (Diallo, mobilization and advocacy mechanisms are coherent and personal communication, 2022). Amongst the initiatives synergistic. The aim is also to better involve the actors in being developed, the Agency highlighted the following the summary of results so that the implementation of the examples: ANGMV is based on learning from what has been done. This coalition will be implemented at the sub-regional • The Inclusive Green Climate Fund (IGREENFIN): a level through alliances. The technical coalition has not yet project led by IFAD and funded by the Green Climate been formalized by decree,1 but according to the ANGMV Fund (GCF). The project aims to help small-scale Director, Mali does not require a new structure in this farmers. regard, because at the technical level this coalition will rely • The “Building on the Achievements of the GGW” on the development coordination committees that the state project: a project that Mali is seeking to develop with has already created at the level of the communal districts UNEP in the framework of GEF 8. This project addresses (Diallo, personal communication, 2022). But views on this institutional aspects, capacity building, knowledge differ. A technical advisor within the Department of Rural enhancement, and support to communities through Development argues that, despite the establishment of the income-generating activities. UNEP has committed to Alliance at the political level, what is missing is information sharing at the technical level. The information may not be 1 The 2021 national report on the GGW does mention “a draft decree on the creation, organisation and functioning of the technical commission of the National Alliance of the Great Green Wall of Mali” (March 2021); 8 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN MALI effectively conveyed through the existing development to establish a solid pipeline of GGW projects (Keita, consultation frameworks created by decree at regional personal communication, 2022). Facilitating such and local levels; for this reason, the advisor argued that a dialogue will help to ensure mutual trust and it would be relevant to create a technical framework transparency (Zougmore, personal communication, specifically targeting GGW to ensure that technical 2022). information is relayed to sub-national levels. There are also other platforms and mechanisms that have been put in place to strengthen the work of the GMV and Data Platforms ensure the commitment of stakeholders. These include: There is currently limited data related to the GGW • The GMV Women’s Platform ambitions. This includes data on land restoration, status of • A WhatsApp group was set up in 2021, dedicated to degradation, mapping of degradation, land health, and soil the ANGMV erosion at the programme and project level, as well as the • A coalition of stakeholders was set up around the GMV national level. Accelerator to accelerate resource mobilization The following was identified in terms of data platforms: • Mali’s Forest Information System (SIFOR) consolidates Support needed for project all of Mali’s data in terms of land restoration but only identification and scale up includes data from major government undertakings. SIFOR also constitutes a valuable decision-making tool accessible to many actors for development The ANGMV expressed the need for ongoing support and environmental advocacy purposes. However, it to develop project identification documents that are excludes restoration efforts undertaken by non-state robust and impactful. In particular, technical support with actors (Dembélé, personal communication, 2022). converting the extensive pipeline of potential projects into bankable proposals is required. • In January 2021, a request was made to the Geneva Water Hub (centre specialised in hydro politics and Amongst the frameworks for effective governance, hydro diplomacy at the University of Geneva) to create sustainability, stability and security put forward by Mali a SIGMAP for the Agency (Ministry of Environment, in the context of a needs assessment undertaken by the 2022). UNCCD (UNCCD 2022:21) were: • In the context of the EU-funded Global Climate Change Alliance Plus in Mali - Phase 2 (GCCA+ Mali • Development of frameworks for consultation and 2) (2017-2023), the AEDD will receive support in security of people and property in the regions; setting up a communication strategy and strengthening • Implementation and operationalisation of information existing information systems; strengthening the forestry systems; information system and the availability data; and in • Youth Green Caravan; initiating the setting up of a national monitoring system • Women’s Green Platform; and, in the forestry sector. • Structuring and functioning of national alliances. There is a need for further work on exploring synergies between these systems, the consolidation of the ANGMV’s own information systems and the support provided by the Dialogue and Scaling GGW-A in setting up a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system for the GGW’s national activities in Mali. Mechanisms or platforms that would be suitable to scale up the GGW work and ensure stakeholder engagement include: Financing • Support the Alliance with holding meetings and becoming fully operational. To date the Alliance has The national funding landscape for the GGW is met only virtually and the stakeholders expressed the characterised by the weak mobilisation of donor resources. need for an in-person meeting; From 2017-2020, 670.75 million CFA francs were invested • Strengthen the inclusiveness of the Alliance in terms of at the level of the ANGMV, of which 74% was from the broadening representation; and, state, 2% was from the APGMV, and 24% from technical • Support engagement on the GGW resource flows and financial partners (ILRI, 2021). to various government entities, to ensure a coherent approach to fundraising for the GGW. The West African Mali reports having limited technical capacity in compiling Development Bank (BOAD) has for instance been in project proposals. This can in part be linked to the limited contact with the National Directorate of Water and knowledge of the requirements of funding partners and Forests to see how it could contribute to the country’s related procedures. Regional banks, such as the African GGW project portfolio. It was in this respect calling for Development Bank, have provided some support with integrated projects to be implemented in vulnerable online training and the FAO has provided technical support areas. The ANGMV has been in touch with the BOAD and training on access to funds under GEF 8. National to fund projects but the feedback from the BOAD was stakeholders expressed that such training should be more that there was a lack of inter-departmental cooperation regular and conducted in person rather than virtually. in submitting integrated projects. Support is required to foster inter-departmental dialogue and cooperation COUNTRY REVIEW 9 A UK government-funded programme Building Resilience GEF 7 EA Umbrella III (implemented by UNEP). and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters (BRACED) has been implementing an action research and advocacy project in Senegal and Mali called “Decentralising Climate Funds (DCF)” which seeks to support communities in both countries to become more resilient to climate change through access to locally- controlled adaptation funds. There would be merit in exploring how this initiative could be synergised with the projects implemented by the ANGMV. Institutional strengthening The GGW 2021 annual report flags the following capacity building support activities that have taken place: • Capacity building on opportunities for the GCF and other funds supporting forest and landscape restoration, organised by FAO/FVC (June 2021); • Training workshop for members of the National Steering Committee of the GEF Microfinance Programme on GEF 7 and the functioning and management tools of the GEF/MFP (July 2021); and, • GIZ provided training on the facilitation of participatory analysis and the use of interactive information tools within the framework of the FREXUS project activities on the links between natural resources management and conflicts in the context of climate change (October 2021). The Agency and the AEDD in a joint interview flagged the very high need for capacity development to develop bankable and “impactful” project proposals. The feedback received from funders is that the submitted projects “lack impact”. The UNCCD will be availing a consultant to assist them in this respect (Diallo and Goita, personal communication, 2022). These priorities are echoed in a report compiled by the UNCCD following its engagement with GGW countries in June 2022, which identified specific areas where capacity building support was needed, namely: • Strengthening the technical and logistical capacities of GGW structures and local development initiatives; • Strengthening the scientific and technical skills of the structures and other actors of the GGW; • Training and development of actors on GGW themes; and, • Capacity building of actors in M&E related to natural capital and information management Included in the priority needs to advance the implementation of the GGW, were: • The revision of the strategy and its action plan; • Resource mobilization; and • Capacity building and an M&E system. The AEDD also requested further capacity development related to climate change negotiations and climate finance in general. Mali is one of the countries earmark for receiving GEF support as part of the project Strengthening national-level institutional and professional capacities of country Parties towards enhanced UNCCD monitoring and reporting – © World Agroforestry 10 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN MALI 2 Main bottlenecks for the implementation of the GGW initiative The ANGMV summarizes key bottlenecks as follow: • The low level of mobilization of the financial and technical partners around the GGW; • The lack of synergy between projects and programmes involved in the GGW; • The insufficient mobilization of internal resources; • The insufficient mobilization of external resources; • The weak coordination of the actors; and, • The lack of information on the financial instruments of the various partners. THESE ISSUES ARE UNPACKED IN FURTHER DETAILS BELOW. Bottleneck or key How this can be addressed within challenge Description and underlying factors the country POLICY LEVEL BOTTLENECKS Lack of harmonized • Lack of harmonization of sectoral interventions • Policy harmonisation mainstreaming of land on the theme of desert advancement and SLM. • Allocate existing agricultural subsidies restoration strategy across Some provisions in the forestry law contradict to CSE/DRSS interventions and different sectoral domains and the agricultural policy. organic compost jurisdictions • Large scale agro-industrial developments • Expedite the implementation of the still feature strongly in Mali. The Department strategy for the valorisation of non- of Agriculture is focused on mechanization, timber forest products with many investments allocated to tractor subsidies and fertilizer subsidies, which is not aligned with an agro-ecological approach. • This inconsistency of public policies is reflected by a poor harmonization between regulations on decentralization, land use planning, mining operations (mining code), forestry code, agriculture, pastoral development strategies and land laws, which maintain the different resource managers in a siloed sectoral approach. • What is lacking in the policy framework is a process/law articulating the synergy between land uses. • The Directorate of Water and Forests took part in developing a strategy for the valorisation of non-timber forest products – this strategy was adopted but implementation has been slow COUNTRY REVIEW 11 Bottleneck or key How this can be addressed within challenge Description and underlying factors the country Lack of awareness/knowledge • Extension officers and other actors are • Support large scale awareness of of agricultural and economic not sufficiently informed about the legal new legislative provisions relating development frameworks by framework related to agricultural and to land and natural resource rights practitioners economic development, which makes their and responsibilities and ensure that application at ground level problematic. In the necessary capacity building and essence, laws are not effectively applied and resource allocation is provided. enforced, and this is especially true when it comes to land tenure issues. • A 2018 decree transfers natural resource management powers to local authorities. However, local communities are not familiar with and local municipalities are struggling to appropriate these competencies. Provision was made to set up a land tenure commission in each community area. It was intended that capacity building would be provided by the local administration, but this has not occurred, leaving NGOs to fill this gap. Lack of an agroforestry • Mali’s forestry policy was revised in 2018 but it • ANR and agroforestry should be development strategy remains silent on use and access rights related adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture, to trees that farmers leave in their fields. as well as the Ministry of Environment, • Elements of agroforestry governance are as essential elements of agricultural spread throughout different ministries. extension to achieve real impact on agricultural productivity and resilience • There is no formal recognition in the forestry legislation that farmers have an exclusive right to the trees resulting from ANR on their fields. • The absence of an agroforestry development strategy, combined with insecure land tenure and unclear distribution of rights over the restored ecosystems impede the adoption and scaling of agroforestry and other land restoration practices. Competing demands in the • Competition for land and competition • Scope for mainstreaming restoration GGW area between users for accessible plots to reforest under Mali’s development plans seems to be an additional factor in the fragmentation of the pastoral space Incomplete decentralization • The Agricultural Land Law, promulgated • Establish legislative and regulatory processes in 2017, has provided for land and village frameworks favourable to local commissions, which should make restoration initiatives. efforts more secure. However, these • Greater efforts must be made to communities are not aware of the land support the operationalisation of commissions that can be used to secure land, the decentralisation law, included which limits the implementation of this law. the transfer of resources to support • While the legal decentralization framework implementation. is in place, the process of transferring competencies and resources to the local authorities is not yet effective. • “The effectiveness of the interventions by local authorities is compromised by the weakness of their capacity to control project management” (World Bank 2021). Unsecure land tenure • Land restoration requires investments, yet • Support land tenure security no project will attract financial investment mechanisms developed in without land security and without land tenure collaboration with local authorities rights. that will ensure that investors and local actors, especially women, benefit from the value generated by their interventions. • Ensure that provision is made for the land commission to facilitate the process of securing land tenure rights. 12 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN MALI Bottleneck or key How this can be addressed within challenge Description and underlying factors the country GOVERNANCE AND INSTITUTIONAL BOTTLENECKS Insufficient information flow • Weak communication, lack of information • Undertake a study on the contribution sharing and dissemination of NGOs in reforestation and • “The main partners evolve individually combatting desertification and according to their interest and there is lack of ensure that this information is made coordination” (Traoré et al 2021) accessible. Institutional weakness: lack • There is a lack of synergies between projects • There is a need to strengthen the of coordination and synergy related to land restoration and projects coherence of action at the level of the in the implementation of implemented as part of the GGW. In some governors and prefects. projects instances, the Agency is not aware of donor- • This entails supporting the funded projects linked to SLM and livelihoods operationalising of the Alliance and being implemented in the GGW area. the national coalition as well as the • This lack of capitalization translates in various organs of the ANGMV inefficient use of resources and undermines the effectiveness of interventions. • This institutional weakness is a broader issue that affects many of Mali’s institutions. “This lack of synergy between departments, institutional instability and insufficient human, material and financial resources in ministerial departments are factors that limit the quality of public interventions in general” (World Bank 2021). Exclusion of farmers as • Lack of effective inclusion of a wide range • The proposed 10 recommendations primary actors of key actors. For example, producer brought forward by the UNFCD organisations are the grassroots of the GGW. (2021) to improve the work of the The strategies advocated by them are often national coalitions can contribute to very closely aligned to the objectives of the the required changes. It recommends GGW. These producers organisations should putting in place practical mechanisms be an integral part of the implementation of for planning dialogue and action the GGW (Garreau, personal communication, at the local and national levels, 2022). especially focusing on producer • Professional Agricultural Organisations organisations. This would allow for (PAO’s) exist in Mali, but they are experiencing closer collaboration with producer problems of governance, operationalisation organisations and bring them more and financing. (World Bank, 2021) actively into the GGW initiative • Producer organisations in turn need to be better capacitated to contribute meaningfully to the projects at ground level. • Prioritise the GGW as a tool for improving the livelihood of populations at the highest political level. • There is a need to work through farmer organisations to support the sustainability of the interventions. COUNTRY REVIEW 13 Bottleneck or key How this can be addressed within challenge Description and underlying factors the country Lack of involvement of • A study on the mobilization of non-state • Set up multi-actor, multi-sector partners especially CSOs, stakeholders of the GGW found that the dialogue mechanisms around the the private sector and local implementation of the initiative regionally was objectives of the GGW. government top-down, technocratic and non-inclusive • Involve local authorities in the (UNFCCC, 2021). implementation of the GGW and give • The lack of involvement of other critical them a significant role in local project actors involved in SLM was confirmed by management. several stakeholders, notably NGOs, but also • For create better connections between strategic partners such as CIFOR-ICRAF. GGW actors, harness existing These actors have been involved in the GGW opportunities and knowledge through at its inception, but were thereafter no longer the creation of a GGW multi-actor included in implementation. hub. Establish practical, simple and • Lack of engagement of private actors and clear criteria and procedures for limit scope, scalability and sustainability of engagement and integrate many interventions. actors in the system at different levels (UNFCCC, 2022) • National coalitions should enable the establishment of memoranda of understanding (MoU) between ministries and decentralized institutions, municipalities and cities, so that states can request dedicated funding for GGW municipal plans. (UNFCCD 2022). • The Agency of the GGW has the space available for both public and private partners. This public-private partnership model would then be an opportunity for the GGW in Mali to achieve its objective in the area. Also, the Agency has the political power to support the PPP. In addition, the Agency has also a great capacity of service providers’ mobilization for activities implementation in the zone of the GGW in Mali. Finally, the Agency has the technical capacity to manage PPP in terms of staffing profile and leaders (Traoré et al 2021) A technocratically-driven • Local populations perceive GGW projects • The implementation of each project approach (such a market gardens or large-scale SLM) is to be preceded by a grounded co- as a government environmental project with design with each community, with a a “top-down” logic disconnected from local greater focus on political ecology than realities just biophysical issues. • There is a tendency to implement the GGW with a “one size” fits all approach, whereas each and every socio-ecosystem system along the GGW route is unique, with its own characteristics and dynamics. This calls for adapting and aligning actions accordingly. 14 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN MALI Bottleneck or key How this can be addressed within challenge Description and underlying factors the country The lack of involvement of • The populations that benefit from the land • Implementation of GGW projects rely local populations, which restoration measures must be able to take on existing instruments of territorial compromises the long-term over from the state services. However often governance and shared resource sustainability of interventions the lack of ownership and co-design of management, such as pastoral units, interventions with the local populations borehole management committees (as well as other factors such as access to and communal councils. The GGW resources), as well as absence of land tenure would thus be catalytic to consultation rights, inhibit the buy-in from local beneficiary processes and to consolidate populations. decision-making and management • Lack of genuine support from pastoral bodies at the intermunicipal level for communities. SLM. • The humanitarian approach to implementing market gardens compromises their long- term sustainability. For instance, the “Food for Work” Programme consists of providing women’s groups with food aid, which is conditional on their participation in the farm plot. But most development initiatives do not yield high economic returns. This poor productive and financial performance might condemn them to remain dependent on the GGW project and actors such as the World Food Programme who implement these initiatives. This is the major ambiguity of the GGW gardens which, in attempting to promote tools for the fight against poverty, adopt the institutionalized practices of humanitarian aid. • Failing to introduce these actors in projects will result in the risk that “the projects presented (lack) territorial anchorage. Funding partners should be encouraged to set up dedicated funding programmes for these actors.” (UNCCD 2022:14). GENDER Lack of addressing • There is mention of gender equity and fundamental and systemic inclusion of women, youth and other groups causes of gender inequality in Mali’s policy documents. However, there is a lack of a coordinated plan and activities able to address the root causes of those inequalities. Most of the actions relate to solving the current practical needs of these groups, with little focus on changing their status through addressing their strategic needs. RESOURCES CONSTRAINTS Limited resource mobilisation • Land restoration is extremely costly. • Improve knowledge and capacity on Government is funding only the administrative financial instruments available and running of the Agency but not its requirements of donors. implementation activities in the field. There • The GGW Agency should consider is a critical shortage of human, material and public and private actors to make financial resources. a consortium in applying for GCF • The Agency is challenged by a lack of funding. Such PPPs with other Malian information on the financial instruments of actors should be formalised through various partners. The Agency has limited MoUs after systematic strategic capacity to develop projects that appeal to engagement is held with each set of donors. actors to leverage access to funding • Low level of disbursement compared to the but also to optimise on site delivery intensity of activities. (Traoré et al 2021) COUNTRY REVIEW 15 Bottleneck or key How this can be addressed within challenge Description and underlying factors the country High reliance on external • Many land restoration targets and funding commitments rely heavily on funding from external donors. In Mali, up to 70% of the funding to SLM activities countrywide stem from external funding sources (FAO 2022). • The GGW implementation document includes funding expectations from the government, the local authorities and villagers, while these entities, specifically at the local level, have limited capacity for resources mobilization. Institutional blockage in the • The main obstacle to the mobilization of • “There is a need to communicate financial dialogue resources is the positioning of national about the opportunities available, agencies. These agencies are under the not only to the Ministry of Finance direction of their country’s Ministry of the and Planning, but also to the sectoral Environment. However, the financial partners ministries that prepare projects for the all dialogue at the level of each country with government budget” (UNFCC 2021:5). one interlocutor: the Ministry of Finance and • Advocate for inter-institutional Planning. dialogue in mobilisation of funds • In the case of Mali, there is a degree of uncertainty/lack of transparency on whether GGW funds accrue to other line ministries or the AEDD and how these are being used (Zougmore, personal communication, 2022) LIMITED CAPACITY OF FARMERS AND FARMER ORGANISATION Limited technical capacity • There is a lack of technical capacity of farmers • Entry points identified by the GGW-A: of farmers and farmer and farmer organisations “In West Africa, the ROPPA network organisations to adopt the • In addition, there are only a small number of took the lead in January 2020 in the recommended techniques NGOs with the required expertise on these so-called West African initiative on issues. agro-ecology and is a good entry point. • . • Farmer-to-farmer exchanges have proven to be a powerful tool for scaling up agroecological techniques.” • The facilitation of a network of specialised training organisations’ (UNCCD 2022b) BIOPHYSICAL CONSTRAINTS Water scarcity • The GGW operates in water-constrained • Alternatives to and better management environments, with deep aquifers (230 m) of water points/ponds feature among compounded by climate change (delayed the priorities. arrival of long rains). This means that there • Studies required on the replenishment is tremendous pressure from pastoralist of underground water given the high communities on the government to drill intensity of sinking boreholes boreholes for their livestock. There is a high mortality of seedlings – approximately half the seedlings are lost before planting or at planting due to water constraints, cattle roaming and fire damage (ICLEI, 2022). Freshly transplanted trees need extra water due to the lack of moisture in the soil. • The Agency is planning on multiplying boreholes in the region with newly acquired technological equipment. However, there is uncertainty about whether there is enough water to irrigate newly restored land. This has long term consequences for the use of underground water. • This water stress issue has implications from a gender perspective – women have to allocate significant time, which could be used for other activities, for collecting water. 16 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN MALI Bottleneck or key How this can be addressed within challenge Description and underlying factors the country LOCAL DYNAMICS Insecurity and conflict • Mali has been experiencing insecurity due to • “There is significant scope for the activities of armed militia in the northern Participatory Rangeland Management part of the country, which constrains many to add-value to these projects and developmental operations. It is because of processes already being implemented. this unsafe context that the “Homme Milieu The emphasis on decentralization with Observatory” sponsored by the CNRS will not power and management of resources include Mali in its research activities focused in the hands of local communities on the GGW. provides the right political context for • This results in different use of space by several community-led processes.” (Flintan et actors e.g. pastoralists and farmers. Livestock al, 2022). This approach can add value wandering in reforested plots leads to inter- to the GGW initiatives in Mali community conflicts. • Maintenance of measures to fight against external attacks (firewalls, fences, etc.). In Mali, pastoral units or pastoral perimeters have been set up around solar energy- powered boreholes. WEAK MONITORING AND EVALUATION Lacking M&E system • Mali does not have a baseline for the GGW. • UNEP has developed a baseline for • There is no systematic way of tracking and all GGW countries. However, this reporting on the progress made towards information is currently not accessible. achieving SLM that addresses and meets the • Improve M&E by setting up a GGW goals (regionally applicable). system accessible to all actors • There is a lack of a reliable M&E system which centralises all knowledge for for strong reporting on GGW. In the policy innovations in the field documents, emphasis is put on reports, • Undertake a mid-tern appraisal of the making it difficult to trace and verify the status of land degradation in Mali. The interventions’ results. Accelerator is trying to remedy this by • providing tools and equipment, and training sessions. • Work has been underway for the implementation of a results management framework since May 2021. This has led to the establishment of 2 tools: • The annual financial tracking table to track commitments and disbursements by pillar and country for each funding partner. • The annual impact monitoring table to track achievements on the ground by pillar, for each national agency of the GGW (UNFCCC, 2017) Undercapitalisation or under • Many projects and investments, including • Need for the elaboration of a “GGW” reporting the work of NGOs, CSOs, and autonomous label which actors can use depending investments by farmers and herders go on their level of contributions to the unreported and unrecognised. This is a missed GGW opportunity to capitalise on the work of • Need to improve the reporting NGOs and other actors (Dembélé, personal template that NGOs submit annually communication) to the department to report back on • NGOs must report on their activities their impact. The template specifically annually as part of their requirement with the needs to incorporate indicators related government. However, the annual reporting to SLM so that the Agency can use this framework used by all NGOs does not data to consolidate its own reporting. include provision for reporting on indicators specifically related to land restoration. NGOs active in land restoration report on their progress, with areas of land planted/ restored, but given the lack of a standardised joint reporting framework that touches on the objectives of the GGW, the relevant data is not captured by the administration, resulting in underreporting. COUNTRY REVIEW 17 Bottleneck or key How this can be addressed within challenge Description and underlying factors the country Lack of multi-sector analytical • The evaluation of the effectiveness of accounting investments related to the fight against land degradation should be inseparable from the inventory of global investments made at the level of the concerned sectors of activity (agriculture, livestock, water, etc.). However, in the absence of analytical accounting, it is difficult to know the real share of investments that have had a positive impact on land degradation. RESEARCH GAPS Research bias towards forestry • A study on the Sahelian GGW reveals a • Redress this research bias by and certain geographical areas predominance of ecological studies in the supporting research focusing on literature and a concentration of studies “social engineering” in certain geographies of interest, such as northern Senegal. (Bruckmann et al, 2022) Limited research time assigned • Research funding is often allocated for short to restoration/reforestation (2-3 year) time frames, which is deemed projects highly insufficient to capture the outcome of reforestation projects, taking social dynamics into account – these research time frames need to be expanded to a 10-year period. (Mbaye, personal communication, 2022) Limited cross-sharing of • There is no centralised system used by the • Set up a mechanism to centralise all information and centralisation ANGMV to report on the GGW achievements scientific and technical information of research outcomes and capitalise on experiences on the ground. and innovation and to easily disseminate, promote valorisation of research fundings and knowledge exchanges Research is top down • Often research outcomes are not fed back/ • As above – promote the establishment disseminated to the level of community-based of observatories organisations, which could benefit from such research findings © Sande Murunga/CIFOR 18 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN MALI 3 Stakeholders relevant to the Great Green Wall initiative Government Departments • To sensitize and inform the population on the different aspects of environmental protection; In Mali, land restoration and related interventions are • To strengthen the capacities of actors involved in anchored within the institutional framework of the Ministry the environment through training and environmental of Environment, Sanitation and Sustainable Development education; (MEADD). The National Environment Council (CNE) and • Monitoring financial mechanisms and mobilizing the Environment and Sustainable Development Agency resources for environmental protection, combating (AEDD), as operational branches of MEADD, oversee the desertification and the effects of climate change; design, implementation and monitoring of environmental • Ensure the coordination and monitoring of the policy including conventions, agreements, and treaties implementation of international Conventions, ratified by the country. Key programmes are also hosted Agreements and Treaties ratified by Mali in the and implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development. framework of priority themes; • Promote the inclusion of the environmental dimension Also involved in the coordination mechanism in relation in the design of programmes, development projects to SLM are the focal points of the different conventions and land-use plans through the development of and initiatives (i.e., the national focal points of multilateral guides for the coherence of environmental actions and environmental agreements (MEAs), including the Rio advisory support to local authorities; Conventions), as well as the representatives of the sectoral • Ensure the management of environmental information ministerial departments (discussed in further detail below). (elaboration of the National Report on the State of the Environment, production of statistics on the MEADD is responsible for developing and implementing environment and sustainable development etc.); the national environmental protection policy. As such, • Disseminate the results of research related to it is responsible for ensuring the coordination and environmental protection, the fight against implementation of actions; public participation and desertification, climate change and sustainable engagement; the development and implementation development; and, of legislative and regulatory measures to ensure • Participate in the implementation of the programmes of environmental protection; as well as monitoring climate the Environmental Action Plan. change and its impact on the environment. It includes the main structures responsible for implementing MEAs. These are: THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT COUNCIL (CNE) The CNE’s mission is to give advice and make proposals THE AGENCY FOR ENVIRONMENT AND and recommendations on issues related to the SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (AEDD) environment. The CNE hosts the national climate change council. It is further responsible for: The AEDD is a national public institution of an administrative nature, under the supervision of the MEADD, • Making proposals aimed at improving the efficiency of whose mandate is to coordinate all the Ministry’s actions the implementation of programmes in the environment (resources, activities). AEDD is the designated National and sanitation sector; Authority for all financial mechanisms related to the • Promoting the participation of national actors, environment and climate in Mali. It oversees the NDCs, it particularly civil society, in the safeguarding and is the GEF focal point and is also in charge of the national protection of the environment, the fight against policy on environment and climate change. It coordinates desertification, climate change and sustainable the Regreening Africa project. More specifically, it is development; charge of: • Providing input on all draft texts relating to the environment as well as all development programmes • The implementation of the National Policy for and projects in the field of the environment to be Environmental Protection (PNPE) implemented in the country; • Integrating environmental dimensions in all • Providing input on the ratification of multilateral development policies, programmes and projects. environmental agreements entered into by the country; and, Its main tasks are: • Responding to any question relating to the environment • To provide the secretariat of the National Environment that is referred to it by the minister in charge of the Council; environment. COUNTRY REVIEW 19 THE NATIONAL DIRECTORATE OF WATER AND • Mines, Energy and Water FORESTS (DNEF) • Land Administration • Domains, Land Use Planning and Population Known as “Eaux et Forêts”, this service is one of the oldest • Finance in the country. The main mission of the DNEF is to elaborate • Education the national policy on nature conservation and to ensure its • Higher Education and Scientific Research execution. It is responsible for: • Infrastructure • • Health and Social Development Developing and implementing plans for the • Industry and Commerce management and restoration of forests, parks and • Women reserves, as well as action programmes to combat • Handicrafts and Tourism desertification; • • Youth Participating in the negotiation of international • National Entrepreneurship, Employment and conventions and treaties relating to the conservation of Professional Training. forests and wildlife and ensuring their implementation; and, There are also links with the Ministry of the Economy, • Ensuring the collection, processing and dissemination Planning and Integration which is responsible for the of statistical data. development and implementation of economic policy and regional and sub-regional integration. It coordinates all The DNEF assists the Agency with ground level project economic reform programmes and ensures the coherence implementation. Forestry agents are assigned to work on of economic, budgetary and monetary policies for GGW project sites. sustained growth of the national economy. THE ENVIRONMENT AND CLASSIFIED ESTABLISHMENTS DIRECTORATE (DEEC) Presidency, Agencies, The DEEC is responsible for: Commissions • The prevention and control of pollution and pests; Also involved in the coordination mechanism in relation to • Monitoring the actions of various services and SLM is the High Council of Territorial Communities (haut organisations involved in the environmental sector; conseil des collectivités territoriales - HCC). The HCC • The elaboration of legal texts concerning the is the institution that represents all the municipal and environment; regional authorities and is responsible for decentralized • The follow-up of the conventions relating to its environmental management. missions; • The integration of the environmental dimension in Sub-regional level: Regions are responsible for development policies, programmes and projects implementing public policies at a local level. They have through environmental assessment; the potential to strengthen local planning processes and • The management of the classified installation for the implementation of land restoration activities, contributing protection of the environment; and to LDN. However, an adequate allocation of resources • The management of the coastline. from the central government is vital for effective local contribution. At national level there is an LDN working In the agricultural sector, the structures in place include: group overseeing the LDN process in the country. • Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MAEP); Local authorities: Mali has 703 communes, including • The Higher Council of Agriculture, chaired by the 96 urban communes (e.g. villages in rural areas and President; townships in urban areas0, 49 counties (cerdes) and • The National Executive Committee, chaired by the eight regional councils with responsibility for the Prime Minister; management of development projects. These structures • The Regional Executive Committees for Agriculture develop, implement and evaluate, in consultation with chaired by the regional governors; and the agricultural profession, the schemes and plans for the • The Permanent Assembly of the Chambers of development and management of the agricultural sector, Agriculture of Mali (APCAM) incuding the agricultural development programmes of their respective territories. MINISTRIES DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE GGW At sub-national and local levels there are regional agencies of development, and local agencies that can enhance local In Mali, the Alliance and the Agency fall under the Prime expertise and contributions to the institutional framework Minister. The following ministries are part of the GGW of LDN. Political Alliance and therefore the identified government departments for the GGW: In addition to seeking territorial justice through decentralization and the participation of local populations, • Environment and Sanitation Mali’s policy framework also emphasises gender equity • Security and social inclusion, especially of those in situations of • International Cooperation vulnerability. • Agriculture • Livestock and Fisheries 20 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN MALI Development Partners Government (ENABEL) features among the lead supporters for Mali in the environmental/agriculture Partners of the National Agency include traditional sector. ENABEL funds the “Regional Climate and financial institutions, donors and civil society. Environment Programme”, a 5-year project, which is implemented with several NGOs. • The Swiss Agency for Development and FINANCIAL AND STRATEGIC PARTNERS: Cooperation (SDC) funds several initiatives aimed at supporting the national food security system and • The Green Climate Fund finances several land resilience. degradation and climate resilience projects of which • The French Development Agency (AFD) is supporting Mali is part, such as the Africa Integrated Climate regional projects focused on the agro-ecological Risk Management Programme aimed at supporting transition and resolving transboundary issues in the vulnerable Sahelian populations adapt to climate context of the GGW. Within the framework of the change, with a plan to restore degraded land and formulation of the project “Contribution to the GGW in provide climate information systems and agricultural 5 West African countries within the framework of the insurance. GCF also supports the Inclusive Green Climate Resilience for Rural Africa Initiative”, ANGMV Financing Initiative (IGREENFIN I). Both these projects took part in a few meetings at the invitation of AFD. focus on the GGW. In Mali, the GCF funds several The AGRECO consultancy firm was appointed to lead energy access projects, for example the SURAGGWA this activity (Ministry of Environment, 2021).The AFD project, which has a GGW focus, and the Africa has also recently launched the “Programme d’Appui Hydromet Programme – Strengthening Climate à la Transition Agroécologique” (PATAE) with support Resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa. of €8.2 million. It proposes to support organisations • The World Bank funds large projects in Mali with a in the implementation of innovative agro-ecological focus on food security and livestock management. It projects to improve food and nutritional security in has been financing important regional programmes West Africa. to support pastoralism in the Sahel (PRAPS phase I • Swedish International Development Cooperation and II) since 2016, of which Mali is a beneficiary. The Agency (SIDA) support to Mali focuses on building World Bank is trying to achieve two main goals in the climate change resilience and adaptation (e.g the Sahel: mobilize financial resources to protect a fragile Decentralised Forest Management Programme environment, and help the countries restore the living (GEDEFOR) whose approach is being replicated in conditions of their population, particularly livestock Mali’s PDD DIN II). herders (ILRI, 2022b). Since 2018 it has also been • Kew (UK Royal Botanical Gardens) is supporting financing the Livestock Sector Development Support coordination and providing technical assistance to Project for Mali (PADEL-M) which focuses on non- GGW partners in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. pastoral livestock sectors. The World Bank and GEF • The GIZ, through BMZ funding in Mali, funds several co-designed and co-funded the Sahel and West Africa projects focused on technological innovations, Programme in support of the GGW (SAWAP). sanitation, green energy and circular economy, as well • The Islamic Development Bank has been earmarked as a strong focus on agriculture, food resilience and to fund projects for the GGW. It is also one of the main security, and fostering viable agricultural businesses. funders of livestock management projects in Mali. • USAID funding (Feed the Future) focuses on increasing • The African Development Bank in 2021 pledged agriculture and nutrition by delivering technology and US$6,5 billion in support of the GGW. In 2021 knowledge and building local institutional capacity to consultations were held within the framework of the spur a vibrant private sector-led approach to achieve support project for the implementation of the GGW on economic and food security. It focuses on improving the initiative (pillar III of the Transition Support Facility). livestock productivity and trade (Livestock4Growth Target countries are Mali, Niger, Sudan, Chad, Djibouti, project) and invests in three value chains in Mali, with an overall cost of US$1.65 million for three years. namely, 1) millet and sorghum for food security and • The West African Development Bank (BOAD) is poverty reduction; 2) rice for growth in household the common development finance institution of the incomes and food security; and 3) livestock for growth member countries of the West African Economic in household incomes and nutrition. and Monetary Union (WAEMU). It has been in touch with the ANGMV and the Ministry of Environment to Livestock-focused funding: A recent study discuss their GGW projects. The BOAD announced commissioned by ILRI (2022) on livestock finance in that between 2024 and 2034, the “100 Million Trees” Mali established that the main bilateral donors to Mali’s project will bring together the efforts of eight West livestock sector were the Governments of Belgium, African countries mobilised against desertification. Switzerland, the Netherlands, and France. Most of This major reforestation operation will cover the entire this bilateral funding was aimed at adapting pastoral WAEMU zone, as part of the GGW. populations to climate change, notably through water • The European Union (EU) supports several land infrastructure development activities (France) pasture restoration and agro-ecologically focused projects, management, early warning mechanisms through including the Global Climate Change Alliance Plus technology (STAMP and STAMP+4 from Netherlands), (GCCA+) in Mali, which is now entering its second and fodder production (SDC action research project). US phase. In addition, it supports the Research and funding focuses on improving livestock productivity and Innovation Project for Productive, Resilient and trade (Livestock4Growth project). Healthy Agro-Pastoral Systems in West Africa aimed at fostering an agro-ecological transition. • The Development Agency of Belgium’s Federal COUNTRY REVIEW 21 REGIONAL BODIES: NATIONAL NGOS • The Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought The 2021 GGW report (Ministry of Environment, 2021) Control in the Sahel (CILSS) invests in research for flags the following strategic partners with whom there is food security and combatting desertification. Through opportunity for collaboration: the Action Against Desertification project, CILSS supported biophysical data collections for the GGW. • Sahel Eco is an NGO active in the Mokti region, • The Sahara and Sahel Observatory is one of the three which falls within the GGW zone. It is involved in executing entities of the Building Resilience through numerous initiatives focused on sustainable resource Innovation, Communication and Knowledge Services management and land restoration. Sahel Eco is an project (BRICKS) under the SAWAP. implementation partner for the Regreening Africa programme. • DANAYA SO, a Malian association, open to all women UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM: living from sex work. Its goal is the autonomy of free women, by improving their living conditions as sex • The United Nations Development Programme workers. DANAYA SO provides women with concrete (UNDP) supports the ANGMV with strengthening its assistance in the areas of health, the defence of their institutional, technical and logistical capacities. In rights, income-generating activities, literacy and 2021, UNDP organised a “sensemaking” workshop on childcare. the theme “Degradation of Ecosystems, Biodiversity • REFEDE MALI, an associative network, whose objective and Land” in order to analyse the challenges linked to is the economic autonomy of women and the most the regreening of the Sahel and the implementation of vulnerable groups, while considering the protection the GGW (Min. Env. 2021). UNDP is funding renewable of the environment. REFEDE MALI works through energy projects in the GGW interventions zones. The training in environmental issues and the protection FAO is working with UNDP on validating a new project of natural resources. The network also works against “Mini African Network”. UNDP will be implementing desertification, seeks to prevent chemical pollution, the recently approved GEF-funded Climate security supports market gardening and the development of and sustainable management of natural resources in the value chains. central regions of Mali for peacebuilding. • PADEV-Mali is a database of NGOs working in Mali. • United Nations Environment (UNEP) has been working with member countries to define their national strategies and action plans (2010- 2013), a INTERNATIONAL NGOS regional harmonized strategy (2012), and supported implementation activities on the ground (2014-2020). • SOS SAHEL is a French NGO currently active in 11 The GEF, through UNEP, has committed to supporting countries in the Sahel, from Senegal to Djibouti. the APGMV Member States in establishing their It helps rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa baseline situation. to guarantee their food security and nutritional • International Fund for Agricultural Development quality in a sustainable manner that respects their (IFAD) is involved in several projects in Mali related to environment. The NGO has been actively involved climate change resilience and livestock support. in the GGW, having taken part in identifying GGW • The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) champions and has, together with the 1t.org platform provides technical support to the Agency and offered (hosted by the World Economic Forum), formed a training on accessing funds from GEF. It is involved in partnership to support the GGW to accelerate the the implementation of the Great Green Wall Cross- initiative. This partnership is focused on encouraging border Pilot Project. the establishment of partnerships around landscape restoration, supporting and strengthening the visibility The 2021 GGW report flags the following strategic of Sahelian eco-preneurs, and attracting investment partners with whom there is opportunity for strengthening for restoration in the Sahel. SOS Sahel has also signed collaboration: a partnership agreement with the Pan-African Agency for Food Security to strengthen collaboration between • UNESCO governments and civil society actors. It also runs the • International Labour Organisation GGW partners’ platform. • G5-Sahel • • World Vision is involved in the Regreening Africa Wetlands International project. • Institute for International Cooperation • • IUCN is a membership union uniquely composed of International Migration organisation - Prospects for both government and civil society organisations. It has the development of a project to strengthen climate recently called for bringing back the focus on wetlands resilience in three counties of the Kayes region. and water issues within the GGW. • Oxfam coordinates the Regreening Africa project in Civil Society Mali. • Birdlife International is taking part in the conservation and enhancement of continental and transboundary There are many NGOS involved in land restoration and GGW wetlands. working closely with farmers to improve their conditions. Many operate in the area of the GGW, but their work is • Trees for the Future trains communities on sustainable land use and has signed a collaboration agreement not recognised as contributing to the GGW – building with the ANGMV. partnerships with NGOs and granting them a “GGW label” for projects that align to the ANGMV would add value. 22 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN MALI The Private Sector Networks and Alliances An AICCRA-Mali study exploring the potential of public- The ANGMV envisages a partnership with the Réseau Sahel private partnerships has identified the telecommunications Désertification (ReSAD) around the BMUB project (Ministry company Orange Mali as a key partner for effective access of the Environment, 2021). ReSaD is a network that brings and use of climate information service by farmers and together four national civil society platforms, namely: pastoralists in the GGW intervention zone of Mali.2 SPONG in Burkina Faso, CNCOD in Niger, REFEDE in Mali and GTD in France. This North-South initiative, at ANGMV has commissioned the consulting firm Cabinet the crossroads of national and regional concerns, works to d’Analyse et de Conseils en Gouvernance Durable combat desertification and improve the living conditions (CACGODU) to work jointly with UNEP to define the GGW of people in the rural areas of the Sahel. ReSaD responds baseline scenario. to the need to organise civil society actors in the Sahel in the field of desertification. It pools the experiences of An ILRI study on livestock financing (2022b) mentions the hundreds of actors to build methodological expertise that NAYRAL-NEF private initiative, which is financing women will enable them to strengthen, mobilise and improve their in Douentza, Mopti and Timbuktu, in the semi-arid northern actions. part of the country. By 2021, the company has provided loans of US$1 million, providing each of its borrowers Professional agricultural organisations (PAOs) with an average of US$125 each year. The microcredit include cooperatives, associations, unions, federations, scheme has enabled many poor households to reduce their confederations, foundations and unions. The CNOP and vulnerability to climate shocks by diversifying their income its member Organisations, FENAFER, FENAJER, AOPP generating activities and accessing financial loans when (at the national and regional levels) are among the PAOs needed (Banerjee et al., 2021, as cited in ILRI 2022b). and agricultural organisations that contribute to the development of the agricultural sector. © Axel Fassio/CIFOR 2 Developing Public-Private Partnerships for effective access and use of climate information services by farmers and pastoralists in the Great Green Wall intervention zone of Mali (Traoré et al 2022) COUNTRY REVIEW 23 Summary of stakeholders linked to the GGW in Mali Role - how is Specific role of Stakeholder Stakeholder the stakeholder the stakeholder Role of stakeholder Category Contact important related to GGW linked to GGW Gov. agency Agence Malienne de la The AMGMV oversees Meeting its GGW Primary stakeholder in Grande Muraille Verte the GGW in Mali. This target (30.4 million ha), charge of GGW (AMGMV) entails institutional, enhanced resource technical and financial mobilisation, greater Directeur: M. capacity-building technical capacity, Toumany DIALLO of stakeholders improved coordination, on climate and implementation biodiversity; and monitoring of knowledge initiatives management and sharing, including finding support and communication; protection, rehabilitation and management of land; income- generating activities, investments, subsidies; and coordination, monitoring and evaluation Gov. department Agency for AEDD coordinates all Resource mobilisation, Assume secretarial Environment the MEADD actions developing national services – key partner and Sustainable (resources, activities). funded project in identifying funding Development (AEDD) DNA for all financial focusing on GGW, for GGW projects (MEADD) mechanisms in Mali; it capacity development oversees NDCs, GEF to develop bankable Amidou GOÏTA, focal point, in charge projects, greater Chef Département of the national policy project coordination, Mobilisation on environment and knowledge of what des Ressources climate change. other stakeholders are Financières (DMRF, doing in terms of SLM GEF Operational Focal in the GGW area Point &GCF NDA. Gov. department National Environment Responsible for - Not known - Not known Council (CNE) making any proposal aimed at improving the efficiency of the implementation of Programmes in the environment and sanitation sector; promoting the participation of national actors, particularly civil society, in the safeguarding and protection of the environment 24 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN MALI Role - how is Specific role of Stakeholder Stakeholder the stakeholder the stakeholder Role of stakeholder Category Contact important related to GGW linked to GGW Gov. department Directorate of Water It elaborates the Receiving some Direct implementation and Forests, (MEADD) national policy on resource allocation support. Enhanced/ nature conservation from the GGW more streamlined Mme Kanoute and to ensure its projects to supplement Fatoumata Kone execution. It is among its own Operational others responsible budget, as its staff and for developing and resources are being implementing plans used by GGW projects for the management over and above its own and restoration of site work. forests, parks and reserves, as well as action Programmes to combat desertification and processing and dissemination of statistical data. The DNEF assists the Agency with on the ground project implementation. Forestry agents are assigned to work on the GGW project sites. Gov. department Environment The DEEC is among Monitoring of projects Its monitoring of and Classified others responsible for with an environment various services and Establishments monitoring the actions dimension organisations involved Directorate, MEADD of the various services in the field of the and organisations The integration of Environment is key in Madeleine Diouf Sarr involved in the field of the environmental the development of an Point focal for Climate the Environment. dimension in M&E platform for the change development policies, GGW Programmes and projects through environmental assessment. Gov. department Ministry of Agriculture, Overseas all Operational budget to Integration of GGW Livestock and Fisheries development and implement activities projects with current implementation of related to GGW initiatives carried by Camara Adama, agricultural activities Min. of agriculture. technical adviser in Mali. Animal Production Directorate: Coulibaly Seydina Ousmane Gov. entity High Council of The HCC is the Inclusion of infra- Enhanced, Territorial Communities institution that national level in participatory, represents all the project design and sustained municipal, Cercle and beneficiation implementation of Regional authorities, GGW and lasting and is responsible legacy for decentralized environmental management. COUNTRY REVIEW 25 Role - how is Specific role of Stakeholder Stakeholder the stakeholder the stakeholder Role of stakeholder Category Contact important related to GGW linked to GGW Go. entity Local authorities The 703 communes, Bottom-up co- Enhanced, including 96 urban design of projects/ participatory, communes, 49 cercle indicatives, taking sustained councils and eight local dynamics in implementation of regional councils of consideration GGW and lasting Mali are responsible legacy for the management of development projects. As such, they develop, implement and evaluate, in consultation with the agricultural profession with the agricultural profession, the schemes and plans for the development and management of the agricultural, as well as the agricultural development Programmes of their respective territories. Network Réseau Sahel ReSaD is a network Inclusion in the GGW ReSaD responds to Désertification that brings together Alliance, leveraging off the need to organise (ReSAD) four national civil existing networks civil society acting in society platforms: the Sahel in the field SPONG in Burkina of desertification. It Faso, CNCOD in pools the experiences Niger, REFEDE in Mali of hundreds of actors and GTD in France. in order to build ANGMV envisages a methodological a partnership with expertise that will ReSAD around the enable them to BMUB project strengthen, mobilise and improve their actions. Network Professional PAOs include Being included in Enhanced, Agricultural cooperatives, co-design, to have participatory, Organisations (PAOs) associations, farmers benefit GGW, sustained unions, federations, knowledge shar. implementation of confederations, GGW and lasting foundations and legacy foundations and unions. Gov. department Permanent Assembly its objective is Inclusion in the GGW of the Chambers of to represent the Alliance Agriculture of Mali agricultural profession to the public Barry Belco authorities and to participate, on its behalf, in the definition and implementation of rural development policies and Programmes. Financial partner Green Climate Fund Finances several land Direct support to Funding degradation and GGW projects climate resilience projects of which Mali is part 26 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN MALI Role - how is Specific role of Stakeholder Stakeholder the stakeholder the stakeholder Role of stakeholder Category Contact important related to GGW linked to GGW Financial partner Global Environment GEF funds multiple Direct support to Funding Fund SLM and climate GGW projects resilience projects including Financial institution Islamic Development one of the main (Status of support/ has been earmarked Bank funders of livestock interest in GGW to fund projects for management projects unknown) the GGW (status in Mali. Was earmarked unknown) to fund projects for the GGW Financial partner African Development In 2021 pledged Direct support to the consultations were Bank US$6,5 billion in GGW held within the support of the GGW. framework of the support project for the implementation of the Great Green Wall on the initiative of the ADB (pillar III of the transition support facility) Financial & strategic World Bank Funder of large Vision for the Sahel: In 2021 the World partner projects with a focus mobilize financial Bank announced it Amadou Ba on food security and resources to protect would invest US$5 livestock management a fragile environment, billion to help restore (PRAPS, PADEL). and help the African drylands. co-designed and countries restore co-funded the Sahel the living conditions and West Africa of populations, Programme in support particularly livestock of the GGW (SAWAP) herders West African Was earmarked to fund Direct investment in Funding Development Bank projects for the GGW GGW (discussion held in 2022). Will fund the “100 million trees” project” 2024 and 2034 (cover the GGW area) Financial & strategic European Union supports several land Fostering an agro- Funding partner restoration, agro- ecological transition in ecologically focused the Sahel. projects, including the Global Climate Change Alliance Plus in Mali (GCCA+-Mali 2) + Research and Innovation Project for Productive, Resilient and Healthy Agro- Pastoral Systems in West Africa (PRISMA). COUNTRY REVIEW 27 Role - how is Specific role of Stakeholder Stakeholder the stakeholder the stakeholder Role of stakeholder Category Contact important related to GGW linked to GGW Financial & strategic Development Agency One of the lead Focus environmental/ Funding partner of Belgium’s federal supporters for Mali agri sectors government in the environmental/ agri sector. funds the “Regional Climate and Environment Programme”, a 5-year project, which is implemented with several NGOs. Financial & strategic Swiss Agency for funds several initiatives national food security Funding partner Development and aimed at supporting system and resilience Cooperation national food security system and resilience in the context of insecurity. Financial & strategic French Development supporting regional agroecological Funding – enhancing partner Agency projects focused on transition agricultural enterprise the agroecological dimension of projects transition, resolving transboundary issues in the context of the GGW. ANGMV was engaged within context of design of “Contribution to the Great Green Wall Initiative in five West African countries within the framework of the Climate Resilience for Rural Africa Initiative”+ funds “Programmeme d’Appui à la Transition Agroécologique” (PATAE) Financial & strategic Kew (UK Royal supports the Direct support to technical assistance to partner Botanical Gardens) coordination and GGW GGW partners providing technical assistance to GGW partners in Mali (and Burkina Faso and Nige). Financial & strategic Swedish International Support to Mali Not known Not known partner Development focuses among other Cooperation Agency on building climate (SIDA) change resilience and adaptation Financial & strategic USAID USAID funding focuses Not known Not known partner on improving livestock Tossama Diarra productivity and trade and invests in three value chains in Mali 28 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN MALI Role - how is Specific role of Stakeholder Stakeholder the stakeholder the stakeholder Role of stakeholder Category Contact important related to GGW linked to GGW Financial & strategic GIZ – funding from Funds several Not known Not known partner German Federal projects focused Ministry for Economic on technological Cooperation and innovations, sanitation, Development (BMZ). green energy, circular economy Fatoumata Coulibaly and a strong focus on agricultural and food resilience and security and fostering viable agricultural businesses. INGO IUCN Was solicited to run a Not known GGW project funding land restoration focus project in the GGW perimeter with funding from DANIDA (status unknown) INGO Birdlife International Involved in the Not known GGW project funding conservation and enhancement of continental and transboundary GGW wetlands. Multilateral partner UNDP Supports the AMGMV Direct support to GGW project funding with strengthening GGW, technical its institutional, support technical and logistical capacities + funds renewable energy projects in the GGW interventions zones. UNDP will be implementing the recently approved GEF funded project named Climate security and sustainable management of natural resources in the central regions of Mali for peacebuilding. COUNTRY REVIEW 29 Role - how is Specific role of Stakeholder Stakeholder the stakeholder the stakeholder Role of stakeholder Category Contact important related to GGW linked to GGW Multilateral partner UNEP Supported the Being part of GGW GGW project funding elaboration of national Alliance strategies and action plans (2010- 2013), a Direct support to regional harmonized GGW, technical strategy (2012), support and supported implementation activities on the ground (2014-2020). The GEF, through UNEP, has committed to supporting the APGMV Member States in establishing their baseline situation. Multilateral partner CIFOR-ICRAF Assisted GGW at Involvement in GGW CIFOR-ICRAF can inception phase. Alliance, extensive aid Mali’s projects’ experience in sites thanks to its Data Science and restoration research development focus Applied Learning Lab and implementation on agroforestry and at World Agroforestry including the related areas such unit has spearheaded novel research in as land restoration, the development of the development project, climate change Regreening App. Regreening Africa. resilience can contribute to the objectives of the GGW initiative. Multilateral partner IFAD IFAD is involved in Being part of GGW GGW project funding. several projects in Alliance IFAD was solicited Karim Sissoko Mali related to climate to fund a resilience change resilience, focus project in the livestock support. GGW perimeter (status unknown). Multilateral partner FAO Provides technical Being part of GGW Funding. has been support to the Agency Alliance solicited to fund a Issa Keita and offered training on resilience focus project accessing funds from Direct support to in the GGW perimeter the GGF. It is involved GGW, technical (status unknown) in the implementation support of the Great Green Wall cross-border pilot project. National NGO Sahel Eco NGO active in the Inclusion in GGW Implementation Mokti region which platform, recognitions support. Enhanced falls right in the tracing of its projects as being surface area under of the GGW. It is part of the GGW SLM for the GGW. involved in numerous initiatives focused on sustainable resource management and land restoration. Co-implements Regreening Africa. Mentioned by AMGMV as a strategic partner with which there is opportunity for collaboration. 30 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN MALI Role - how is Specific role of Stakeholder Stakeholder the stakeholder the stakeholder Role of stakeholder Category Contact important related to GGW linked to GGW National NGO Danaya So Malian association, Inclusion in GGW Implementation open to all women platform, recognitions support. Enhanced living from sex work. of its projects as being participation of local part of the GGW communities – bolster Mentioned by AMGMV the gender dimension as a strategic partner of GGW projects. with which there is opportunity for collaboration. National NGO Refede Mali An associative Inclusion in GGW Implementation network, whose platform, recognitions support. Enhanced objective is the of its projects as being participation of local economic autonomy of part of the GGW communities – bolster women and the most the gender dimension vulnerable groups, of GGW projects. while considering the defence of the environment. Mentioned by AMGMV as a strategic partner with which there is opportunity for collaboration. INGO World Vision Involved in the Inclusion in GGW Implementation Regreening Africa platform, recognitions support. Enhanced project of its projects as being surface area under part of the GGW SLM for the GGW INGO Trees for the future Trains communities on Inclusion in GGW Implementation sustainable land use – platform, recognitions support. Enhanced the AMGMV signed a of its projects as being surface area under Collaboration protocol part of the GGW SLM for the GGW with this INGO INGO SOS Sahel The NGO has been Inclusion in GGW Implementation actively involved in the platform, recognitions support. Enhanced Jean-Marc Garreau GGW, having taken of its projects as being surface area under part in identifying part of the GGW SLM for the GGW GGW champions and has together with the 1t.org platform. SOS Sahel has also signed a partnership agreement with the Pan-African Agency for Food Security to strengthen collaboration between governments & CSOs. It also runs the GGW partners’ platform. COUNTRY REVIEW 31 Role - how is Specific role of Stakeholder Stakeholder the stakeholder the stakeholder Role of stakeholder Category Contact important related to GGW linked to GGW Private sector Telecommunications Key partner for Securing business Enhanced company, Orange Mali effective access opportunities communication with and use of climate farmers information service by farmers and pastoralists in the GGW intervention zone of Mali.3 Private sector Cabinet d’Analyse ANGMV has Securing business Contributing to et de Conseils en commissioned this opportunities baseline scenario – Gouvernance Durable” consulting firm to can be commissioned (CACGODU) work jointly with UNEP to carry out other to define the GGW analytical work baseline scenario. Research Rural Economy Involved in research/ Inclusion in GGW Research (see research Institute co-implementation platform table) of several projects in Dr Modibo SYLLA GGW area Ake Mamo/World Agroforestry 3 Developing Public-Private Partnerships for effective access and use of climate information services by farmers and pastoralists in the Great Green Wall intervention zone of Mali (Traoré et al 2022) 32 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN MALI 3 Major land restoration and climate change initiatives Land Degradation, Land installations. Neutrality and Land Restoration • The Local Environmental Coalition for a Green Union Front (FLEUVE) (2014–2018), implemented by UNFCCD and financed by the European Commission, The GGW in Mali overlaps with several global and regional with a budget of €7 million. FLEUVE targeted the restoration initiatives: GGW intervention area in Mali and four other GGW • The Bonn Challenge countries, aiming to strengthen the capacities of • The New York Declaration on Forests local communities to help boost investments in land • The African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative restoration and create employment opportunities (AFR100) through green jobs. It was co-implemented by CARI • The UNCCD Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) by and members of the ReSaD, RADDO and Drynet around 2030 the networking and strengthening of civil society • The African Resilient Landscapes Initiative (ARLI) platforms involved in actions to combat desertification • UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021 - 2030) and land degradation at the sub-regional level. • The TerrAfrica partnership for sustainable land management in sub-Saharan Africa, a coalition-based partnership created by the World Bank to combat ONGOING PROGRAMMES IMPLEMENTED WITH land degradation by increasing the scale, efficiency, PARTNERS, WITH AN EXPLICIT FOCUS ON THE and effectiveness of investments in SLM. Launched GGW IN MALI, INCLUDE: in 2008, the Programme has provided US$1 billion in development funding – including US$150 million Currently, all the GGW projects under implementation from GEF and US$580 million from the International in Mali are regional programmes; there is no project or Development Association. AUDA-NEPAD is the programme solely focusing on Mali funded by strategic Secretary of this partnership partners. • The creation of the Great Green Wall Accelerator in 2021 hosted at the UNCCD to set up a harmonized • Improving security and climate resilience in a fragile M&E system around five action pillars, publish an context through the Water-Energy-Food Nexus annual progress report, and organize an annual (FREXUS) – A GIZ funded project (2019-2023) monitoring meeting that brings together all GGW implement in Mali, Niger, Chad which focuses on the stakeholders. transboundary area between these 3 countries (GGW area) with funding from the European Commission A key challenge to flag in the context of this mapping DG DEVCO, German Federal Ministry for Economic of projects is that many projects in Mali may include a Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The Malian dimension focusing on climate change and land restoration Ministry of Environment placed the FREXUS project (in fact most community-based projects include these under the anchorage of ANGM. aspects) but often the projects are not explicitly framed in • Within the framework of Mali-Belgium cooperation, these terms. a new project entitled “Regional Climate and Environment Programme” (2022-2026) has been Mapping of national and regional proj- developed with Enabel at an estimated cost of more ects involving Mali than €40 million for a period of five years. It brings together four countries: Mali, Senegal, Niger and Burkina Faso. PROJECTS EXPLICITLY LINKED TO THE GGW: • The Great Green Wall cross-border pilot project • developed under Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank The FAO’S Action Against Desertification Programme Partnership and implemented in Burkina Faso, Mali and (AAD) (2014 – 2019), funded by the European Union Niger, aims to gather environmental and social data and FAO. Programme activities targeted GGW on land restoration to help inform larger restoration intervention areas and focused on the creation of projects in the Sahara and Sahel region by building a reforestation plots, the restoration of land using the model for the restoration of large-scale agro-silvo- anti-erosion techniques and the development of market pastoral systems. gardening plots through the creation of small hydraulic COUNTRY REVIEW 33 • The approach taken combines the reintroduction of The project aimed at improving accessibility of best native trees and shrubs in a restoration framework practices and monitoring information within the SAWAP which includes the economic and ecological portfolio on sustainable land use and management. rehabilitation of traditional agroforestry systems. In The project contributed to improve the resilience of parallel, surveys have been undertaken to determine ecosystems and people and support the countries’ possible long-term socio-economic outcomes efforts towards poverty reduction, food security triggered by the project. The project in Mali is co- and sustainable natural resource management. It implemented with the Rural Economics Institute (IER established an M&E system for the SAWAP Programme, Sikasso), the FAO and the AU. It is funded by The Dr which includes indicators such as change in vegetation Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation. cover, change in carbon accumulation rates in biomass • The Prevention of conflict and resilience of cross- and soils, additional land brought under SLM, and border food systems in Africa (PCR-SAT) is a €3 million institutions with increased adaptive capacities to project funded by AFD (Minka Peace and Resilience reduce risks and address climate change. Fund) that was launched in 2022. The project aims to • The Great Green Wall Initiative Ten-Year Priority sustainably strengthen the resilience of food systems Investment Plan (2020 –2030) is being rolled out in communities in two cross-border areas through in GGW intervention area in Mali and other GGW collaborative management of the plant protein potential countries. The plan is funded and implemented by of agro-silvo-pastoral resources and economic States, local authorities and national private sector development initiatives. The aim is to prevent and actors (up to 20%) and foreign direct investments and mitigate conflicts linked to the anthropogenic and/or financing (to account for 80%). The main expected climatic impact on natural resources by strengthening results and impacts include: Land restoration and the resilience of food systems through support for development; biodiversity conservation; integrated the plant protein sector, thus also contributing to the management of water resources; management of implementation of the Plant Protein Development climate and ecological impacts and risks; capacity Initiative launched at the sixth European Union-African building; resilient economic development and security. Union Summit. The project will operate in two cross- • Harnessing the Great Green Wall Initiative (GGW) for border areas: a Mauritania-Senegal cross-border area a Sustainable and Resilient Sahel is a regional project (communes of Toulél, Sagné, Wompou, Dembacani (implementation started in 2020) of which Mali is and Bokiladji) and a Mali-Senegal cross-border area part, implemented by UNEP Terrestrial Ecosystems (communes of Falémé, Fégui, Gathiary, Tomboura, Unit in collaboration with National GGW Agencies/ Sinthiou Fissa and Bélé) Coordinators; the Pan African Agency of GGW; the • Scaling-Up Resilience in Africa’s Great Green Wall UNCCD Secretariat, the Global Mechanism, and the (SURAGGWA) (2021- 2030)– implemented by a UNEP Africa Office. Funded by GEF. regional coordinating body (FAO with the Pan- African • The Africa Integrated Climate Risk Management Agency of the Great Green Wall), specialized regional Programme was announced in late 2021 as a US$143 and national agencies and NGOs, in Burkina Faso, million investment programme (GCF funding) aimed Chad, Djibouti, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, at supporting vulnerable Sahelian populations adapt Senegal. SURRAGWA aims to remove barriers to to climate change, with a wide-reaching plan to heightened resilience and greater mitigation in restore degraded land and provide climate information these countries through: 1) scaling-up of successful systems and agricultural insurance. It will operate in restoration practices with native species; 2) supporting seven countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, The Gambia, the development of climate-resilient, low emission Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal (where it is value chains of non-timber forest products in implemented by the MEDD). Through this programme, support of vulnerable communities’ livelihoods, and IFAD will work with the AfDB, the World Food 3) strengthening the GGW’s regional and national Programme (WFP) and the African Risk Capacity (ARC) institutions. The proposed project will restore Group to address climate-related agriculture risks at approximately 2 million ha of degraded drylands by every stage. 2030. • “Closing the gaps in the Great Green Wall,” a • The Sahel and West Africa Programme in the support programme funded by GEF and implemented by IUCN of the GGW (SAWAP) (2012-2019) was a programme in 11 countries. One of the global objectives was to developed by the World Bank using US$100 million of review and analyse the existing set of SLM indicators to GEF resources on top of US$1.2 billion IDA resources improve policies and practices of SLM. for twelve Sahelian states, including Mali. A review of • Large-Scale Assessment of land degradation to guide the project concluded that the SAWAP projects have future investments in to guide future investments in surpassed their initial cumulative targets establishing sustainable land management in the Great Green Wall 1.6 million ha of SLWM practices across the twelve countries (2019 to 2024) with US$5.6 million funding countries. In Mali the SAWAP (2014-19) focused on support from the GEF Trust Fund and executed by natural resource management in a changing climate. CILSS / AGRHYMET through SERVIR West Africa • The Building Resilience through Innovation Programme with the goal of improving scientific Communication and Knowledge evidence supporting sustainable land management Services (BRICKS) project: a six-year regional of land in the GGW region. Intervening primarily in knowledge and monitoring hub. This US$4.6 Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Niger, and Senegal, the project million project supported the Sahel and West aims to assess tools and methodologies available Africa Programme (SAWAP) of TerrAfrica, a regional to conduct scientific assessment of the ecological Programme of 12 World Bank-financed country impacts of land degradation and sustainable land operations plus related partner-supported activities management practices, as well as and sustainable that together contribute to the regions GGW priorities. land management practices, as well as monitoring 34 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN MALI and knowledge management. The focus is on aiding PROJECTS UNDERWAY: the countries to use existing platforms and establish as necessary the coordinating mechanisms, build • Climate security and sustainable management of technical capacities, and information dissemination natural resources in the central regions of Mali for strategies. Partners involved include the European peacebuilding. Funded by GEF and approved in July Space Agency has contributed to the project making 2022, this project is implemented by the AEDD with available the EO4SD Climate platform, the Sahara and UNDP support. It seeks to ensure the long-term Sahel Observatory (OSS), Lund University Centre for sustainability of vulnerable productive landscapes in Sustainability Studies – LUCSUS, National Aeronautics Mali’s central region of Mopti, through nature-based and Space Administration – NASA, Institut de solutions that reverse land degradation, strengthen Recherche pour le Développement -IRD, European communities’ climate resilience and promote conflict Space Agency - ESA (DHI/GRAS and SISTEMA). resolution • The Prevention of conflict and resilience of cross- • The Inner Niger Delta Sustainable Development border food systems in Africa (PCR-SAT) is a €3 Programme is a continuation of the Rehabilitation of million project funded by AFD (Minka Peace and Degraded Ecosystems in the Inner Niger Delta (PDDIN) Resilience Fund) launched in 2022. The project aims to (2018-2021) project supported by the SIDA covers the sustainably strengthen the resilience of food systems eight counties of the regions of Ségou (Ké - Macina), in communities in two cross-border areas through Mopti (Djenné, Ténenkou, Mopti, Youwarou), Timbuktu collaborative management of the plant protein potential (Goundam, Diré and Niafunké). Specific project of agro-silvo-pastoral resources and economic objectives include: development initiatives. The aim is to prevent and mitigate conflicts linked to the anthropogenic and/or ƒ Strengthening the institutional framework and the climatic impact on natural resources by strengthening steering and management system, drawing on the the resilience of food systems through support for achievements of the transitional phase; the plant protein sector, thus also contributing to the ƒ Contributing to the protection of the environment implementation of the Plant Protein Development by the men and women of the Delta through the Initiative launched at the sixth European Union-African sustainable management of natural resources, Union Summit. The project will operate in two cross- ecosystems, the protection of biodiversity; border areas: a Mauritania-Senegal cross-border area ƒ Contributing to the strengthening of food security (communes of Toulél, Sagné, Wompou, Dembacani of vulnerable groups, through water management, and Bokiladji) and a Mali-Senegal cross-border area promotion of production systems, capacity building (communes of Falémé, Fégui, Gathiary, Tomboura, of stakeholders and diversification of income Sinthiou Fissa and Bélé). sources; and ƒ Developing initiatives to change the behaviour of the population. PROJECTS WITH A LAND DEGRADATION, LAND • Regreening Africa (2017-2022) is an ambitious NEUTRALITY, LAND RESTORATION FOCUS programme running from 2017-2023 that aims to COMPLETED PROJECTS: reverse land degradation across eight countries in sub- Saharan Africa. Regreening Africa integrates trees into • The World Bank-funded Economic and Environmental crop and communal areas along with complementary Rehabilitation of the Niger River Project (PREEFN) restoration practices and approaches to enhance • The World Bank Natural Resources Management and inclusion, value chains, policy, and local governance. Climate Change Project (PGRNCC), which sought to As part of a larger global and regional effort to halt scale up the adoption of Sustainable Land and Water and reverse land degradation, Regreening Africa aims Management practices in targeted communes in Mali, to improve smallholder livelihoods, food security, and with the aim of improving the long-term resilience of resilience to climate change in eight African countries ecosystems and populations to climate variability and by restoring ecosystem services. More specifically, change. it seeks to reverse land degradation over at least one • Drylands Development Programme (DryDev) (2013- million hectares and benefit 500 000 households, while 2019), a six-year initiative (2013 -2019) funded by the also catalysing an even larger scaling effort to restore Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of the Netherlands, tens of millions of hectares of degraded land across with a substantial contribution from World Vision Africa. Regreening Africa works to support people Australia (WVA) and implement by ICRAF in five in their efforts to restore their landscapes to secure countries in West and East Africa, namely Mali, sustainable benefits while boosting the impact of Burkina Faso, Niger, Ethiopia and Kenya. It aimed to invested resources. At the local scale, the project works promote the transition from subsistence and relief with smallholder farmers through lead farmers, farmer agriculture to sustainable rural development through groups, community-based organizations, extension an integrated package of interventions focusing on staff, and local government to provide technical soil fertility improvement, restoration and enrichment support. On a sub-national and national scale, the of agroforestry parks, availability of water for various programme works with a range of stakeholders to share uses, structuring of agro-silvo-pastoral value chains, lessons and technical support as well as to create an facilitation of access to markets, credit and financial enabling policy and institutional environment. services • The approach and lessons learned from DryDev would be relevant for the GGW-I. COUNTRY REVIEW 35 PROJECTS AT DESIGN STAGE: launched by the Adaptation Fund (AF) in 2015. • • Africa Hydromet Programme – Strengthening Climate The Word Bank-funded Landscape Integrated Resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa: Mali Country Project Development and Resilience Project – Mali. The (2015-2025). The project will support training and project aims to strengthen the integrated development capacity building, expanding and upgrading existing of targeted landscapes in Mali (area of land under hydromet observation networks (including Automatic sustainable landscape management practices - 25 Weather Stations and hydrological stations), as 000 ha). Within the context of Malian decentralization, well as investments to enhance data collection and the project will facilitate collaboration and synergies communication systems. A national network for climate between, on the one hand, sectoral and line ministerial services will be established in order to develop a departments and local governments (collectivités framework for climate services. Improved flood and territoriales - CTs) and, on the other hand, between drought warning systems will also be developed, as CTs and local producers and users’ groups and CSOs. • well as building systems to ensure that early warnings This focus on supporting decentralisation and planning reach the municipal and community level through territorial development in selected communes has better ‘last mile’ systems, and improved awareness at relevance for the GGW-I. • the local level. The PASEM (4-year project) project for the livestock • The Natural Resource Management and Climate sector will be implemented by Sahel Eco with SNV Change Project (PGNRCC) is implemented by the and Swiss funding, and includes the restoration of Network for the Prevention of Food Crises (RPCA). degraded pastures, which affects the activities of the The aim of the project is to scale up the adoption of GGW. sustainable land and water management practices in targeted communes in Mali, with the aim of improving the long-term resilience of ecosystems and people PROJECTS WITH A CLIMATE CHANGE FOCUS to climate variability and change. Specific objectives include: ILRI (2022b) recent research on livestock finance in Mali found that “Among the total amount of funding allocated ƒ Strengthening knowledge sharing mechanisms for for the livestock climate finance in Mali between 2015 and sustainable land and water management, as well as 2022, only 58% were allocated to the livestock sector as climate change; the main target; the remaining of 42% were allocated to the ƒ Strengthening the institutional and technical agriculture in overall, with a component for the livestock capacities of stakeholders to integrate sustainable sector”. The World Bank’s IDA is the main funder of the land and water management into communal livestock climate finance, followed by IFAD. development plans; • ƒ Scaling up good land management practices; and R4 Rural Resilience is a USAID-funded project that ƒ Increasing income and resilience of vulnerable has been implemented by the WFP since 2011. The communities from project activities. second phase is starting in 2022 with GCF support (ClimBer, 2022). The objective is integrated multi- • Global Climate Change Alliance Plus in Mali - Phase risk management with risk mitigation and risk transfer 2 (GCCA+-Mali 2) (2017-2023) is a US$7 million products. • programme that contributes to the sustainable CASSECS (EU) 2019-2023 - The CASSECS project is an management of natural resources in response to ongoing project on the impact of livestock on climate climate change issues. The programme particularly change in CILSS countries. The overall objective of the targets the forestry sector as a sector that can play an project is to provide the CILSS countries with emission important role in both climate change adaptation and factors and reference data that will enable them mitigation. Within this framework, the new programme to better establish the seasonal and annual carbon aims to 1) facilitate climate mainstreaming and action balance of agro-silvo-pastoral ecosystems and thus by the various actors by supporting the AEDD in setting correctly fulfil their commitments in the framework of up a communication strategy and strengthening the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Among existing information systems, 2) strengthen the forestry the project objectives are a focus on training and information system and the availability of data, 3) strengthening the skills of the technical services of the initiate the setting up of a national monitoring system in CILSS member states, local and international NGOs the forestry sector and 4) improving forest cover. and livestock breeders’ associations. • • The expected outputs of this Programme are highly The Promotion of Climate-Smart Agriculture in West relevant to the GGW. The focus on the AEDD support for Africa (2020-2023). Mali is part of this project, setting up a communication strategy and strengthening initiated by ECOWAS in collaboration with the existing information systems are closely aligned with West African Development Bank (BOAD) to support GGW priorities. the implementation of the ECOWAP/SADC AIC • Multi-energy for Resilience and Integrated Territorial Intervention Framework by providing a mechanism for Management Project (MERIT) (2019-2026), a $US50 consultation, coordination, convergence, capitalization million project implemented and partly funded by IFAD. and monitoring of the various initiatives. This action is The project goal is to contribute to improved food and part of the operationalization of the alliance and the nutritional security, poverty reduction and strengthened implementation of commitments for the protection of resilience, including climate resilience, for poor rural the environment and support to States in their efforts people in southern Mali. The development objective to combat climate change. It allowed the mobilisation is sustainable improvement in access to renewable of resources for the initiative. The resource mobilization energy and soil productivity. MERIT will strengthen the process is part of a call for regional project proposals climate resilience of ecosystems by promoting low- 36 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN MALI emission energy sources. It will benefit more than 42 PROJECTS WITH AN AGRICULTURAL AND 000 households, or some 420 000 indirect beneficiaries FOOD SAFETY FOCUS in the project area, of whom at least 50% women and 30% young people. The ASAP/PAPAM project area was COMPLETED PROJECTS: located in six counties in the southern part of the Kayes and Sikasso regions. Under MERIT, interventions will • The World Bank-funded Mali Livestock Sector be expanded within these regions and will also include Development Support Project (P160641) - (PADEL-M) the Koulikoro and Ségou regions. MERIT targets focuses on non-pastoral livestock sectors. The smallholder women, men and young people (crop objective of PADEL-M was to enhance productivity and and livestock farmers, and agro-pastoralists), who commercialization of non-pastoral animal production are considered the group most vulnerable to climate in selected value chains and strengthen the country’s change. capacity to respond to a crisis or emergency. • Initiative to Combat Desertification to Build Resilience • The World Bank funded the Mali Drylands Development to Climate Change in the Sahel and Horn of Africa Project (P164052) resilience to climate change in the Sahel and Horn of • USAID/Mali’s Mali Climate Change Adaptation Activity Africa (IA-CD) (2016-2022) supported by the UNCCD (MCCAA) (2015-20) worked to strengthen the capacity and JICA, aims to make countries and communities of Mali’s meteorological agency, Mali Météo, to resilient to climate change by promoting measures provide improved climate and weather information and to combat desertification and drawing international forecasting. attention to the issue. It covers seven countries in • Africa Rising, a USAID-funded Feed the Future the Sahel (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Programme which operated in the Guinea and Sudano− Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria) and seven countries in Sahelian zones of northern Ghana and southern Mali. the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, In Phase 1 (2011–2016), research activities aimed at Somalia and Sudan). To achieve its ambitions, the IACD establishing the best-bet technologies that would plans to establish networks between these countries deliver development solutions to smallholder farm to share and promote good practices in combating families. These technologies were tested and validated desertification, and to improve access to funding for through participatory research approaches together combatting desertification. with the farming communities. Phase 2 of the project • The GGW-I should capitalise on the lessons learnt from (2016−2021) combined continuity with evolutionary this project. change to ensure that the technologies identified in • The Joint Programme for the Sahel in Response to Phase 1 drive wider adoption at scale through effective the Challenges of COVID-19, Conflict and Climate development partnerships. Change (SD3C) (2020-2027) in the Sahel and Senegal is a US$32 million project implemented in Mali by PROJECTS CURRENTLY UNDERWAY: IFAD in partnership with the FAO and the World • The first phase of the Support Programme for the Food Programme (WFP) – and the G5 Sahel. It aims Improvement of Livestock Systems in Mali (PRAPS to consolidate the livelihoods of small producers, in 1) (2016-2021) will be followed by PRAPS 2, which particular women and youth, living in cross-border was launched in Mali in August 2022. PRAPS has areas of the six targeted countries. It seeks to address made it possible to establish rules for managing the challenges posed by COVID-19, conflict and the areas primarily dedicated to pastoralism. This climate change in the Sahel. The programme covers includes essential infrastructure established around six years in two phases (phase 1: 2021-2023 and water points, such as reception zones for the pastoral phase 2: 2024-2026). The programme will directly herders, pasture for the livestock, vaccination stations, benefit 25 000 rural households, representing 125 000 livestock markets, fodder storage warehouses, and household members. Women and young people aged shops managed by women. PRAPS II is a regional 18 to 40 represent respectively 50% and 40% of the project benefitting six countries, including Mali, beneficiaries. • and will be funded by a US$375 million grant from Wati Yelema Labenw: Strengthening community the World Bank’s IDA. It will make full use of lessons initiatives for resilience to climate extremes, a UK- learned from PRAPS I interventions and research for funded project (BRACED Programme) implemented pastoral development in the Sahel zone. This initiative by International Relief and Development (IRD) and involves the following partners: CIRAD, FAO, ILRI, Blumont. This project builds on the rich experience and CORAF, IRAM OIE, CRSA. The objective of PRAPS 2, relevant results of the RIC4REC project (Strengthening which is an instrument for the implementation of the Community Initiatives for Climate Resilience National Agricultural Sector Investment Programme Resilience), aimed at strengthening the resilience of the (PNISA), is to improve access to essential production most vulnerable people in Mali against risks of various and market resources and services for pastoralists and climatic disasters, helping them to build adaptation agro-pastoralists in selected border areas and along through interventions on social cohesion, livelihoods, transhumance routes and to improve the capacity of natural resource management and governance in the these countries to respond in a timely and effective regions of Koulikoro, Segou and Mopti. • manner in the event of a pastoral crisis or emergency. Save the Children has been running a food security The project will be implemented in three priority areas project ALBARKA, with US$100 million in funding of transhumance and or commercialization, with a view provided by USAID, which includes a land restoration to concentrating investments in complementarity with component. • government interventions and funding provided by Support to Climate Change adaptation in the Boucle other projects (i.e the areas of Gao, Timbuktu, Mopti, du Baoule National Park (2022-2024), a UNESCO-led Segou, Kayes, Sikasso, Kinshasa, Kayes, Sikasso, project. Koulikoro, Ménaka). COUNTRY REVIEW 37 • Through the PRAPS 1, Mali benefited from the following, • The Regional Dialogue and Investment Project on which are all aspects that the GGW-I could capitalise Pastoralism and Transhumance in the Sahel and Coastal on: establishment of a database for the geo-referencing Countries of West Africa (PREDIP), an EU-funded of all the infrastructure, strengthening the coherence and project (€25 million) focusing on Mali, Burkina Faso, relevance of training actions thanks to the elaboration of Niger and the ECOWAS coastal countries. a national training plan, fostering a combined approach • FAIR Sahel (2020-2023), a project coordinated by of the social development strategy and the operational CIRAD, with a budget of €9 million co-funded by the approach for conflict prevention in pastoral areas, and EU and the French Development Agency, aims to bring developing a baseline of pastoral water points in the together ten European and West African partners for targeted areas. four years to conduct activities in Burkina Faso, Mali • The “Programmeme d’Appui à la Transition and Senegal in support of a transition to agro-ecology. Agroécologique” (PATAE) is supported by €8.2 million Activities are carried out at three levels: in funding from the French Development Agency (AFD). It proposes to support organisations in the ƒ The communities, based on the experiences of the implementation of innovative agro-ecological projects producers themselves and the contributions of to improve food and nutritional security in West Africa. research and development actors, to define new It aims to stimulate the development of innovative production methods and techniques; practices that optimise the mobilisation of ecological ƒ Regional institutions (producers’ federations, processes in the field of agricultural production and local authorities, market and commodity chain food and nutritional security in the ECOWAS zone. companies, local research, training institutes and • The Safe locally produced vegetables for West NGOs). Using foresight tools (workshops, role- Africa’s consumers (2021-2025) , a €8 million project playing games), all the actors collectively explore (Implemented in Burkina Faso and Mali), aims to the conditions for the emergence of tomorrow’s pilot and scale innovative approaches to improve agro-ecology: access to commodity chains, access the functioning of vegetable value chains through to seeds, mechanisation, specialised technical strengthening the relationships among value chain support, training; and actors, and increasing the production and consumption ƒ At the national and intra-Sahelian levels, advocacy of safe vegetables, leading to better nutrition and more work aims to achieve convergence with other similar jobs, especially for women and youth in West Africa. initiatives, but above all political support from The project is implemented by the World Vegetable governments. The aim is to perpetuate and extend Centre (WorldVeg). the agro-ecological transition of systems. • Given the GGW’s focus on fostering sustainable vegetable production in intervention areas, it could • The project map indicates that interventions areas prove valuable to engage with this project. in Mali intersect with the GGW- synergies could be • The Research and Innovation Project for productive, explored. resilient and healthy agro-pastoral systems in West • The Inclusive Finance in Agricultural Value Chain Africa (PRISMA)(2022-2025) is a €6 million project Project (INCLUSIF) (2018-2024) implemented and co-funded by the European Union and AECID, and co-financed by IFAD, the Governments of Denmark implemented by Enabel, LuxDev and AECID. The project and Canada (US$100 million in total). It aims to aims to: improve financial inclusion for smallholders and small and medium agri-food enterprises in Mali. It is ƒ Improve availability and access to pastoral expected to reach 440 000 direct beneficiaries from resources through sustainable management disadvantaged groups, rural family farms, professional practices adapted to climate change, tested by organisations (cooperatives, unions and federations) research and known by technical and social actors; and private-sector agricultural enterprises. In terms ƒ Improve the availability of and access to quality of expected impact, INCLUSIF aims to: 1) Bring 440 livestock feed at the regional level, through better 000 smallholders and 360 professional agricultural production and distribution organisation; organisations into the banking system; 2) Develop five ƒ Limit the risks to human health associated with the permanent financial products in the areas of savings, consumption of local milk through better control of credit and micro-insurance; 3) Develop, together with zoonoses; and rural financial institutions, a rural credit portfolio of at ƒ Ensure coherent consultation with the least 20 billion CFA francs in lending by the end of the main influential and potentially impacted project; 4) Build the capacity of 36 000 smallholders in stakeholders and initiate a dialogue with decision- partnerships with the private sector; and 5) Raise the makers to improve sectoral policies. incomes of at least 22 000 smallholders and 4 500 rural young people in income-generating activities and rural • The World Bank funds several regional projects with a microenterprises. focus on food system resilience, these include: • The Projet de Développement de la Productivité et de la Diversification Agricole dans les Zones Arides ƒ The West Africa Food System Resilience Programme du Mali (PDAZAM), funded by the World Bank’s (US$315 million) International Development Association (IDA). It aims ƒ Regional Sahel Pastoralism Support Project II to strengthen the resilience of poor and vulnerable (US$251 million) households and to enable government institutions ƒ The Sahel Irrigation Initiative Support Project - to strengthen their capacity in terms of agricultural closing 2024 (US$105 million) planning, supporting agricultural sector productivity and household resilience. In November 2022, the World Bank has approved an additional IDA credit of 38 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN MALI US$30 million. GIZ implemented) supports food and nutrition • The Sustainable Development Project for Pastoral Farms security strategies in partner countries. It is closely in the Sahel (PDDEPS) Mali launched in 2019. aligned with the relevant ministries and cooperates • The Feed the Future (FTF) Mali Sènè Yiriwa project is a with national and international non-governmental US$19 million five-year activity (2021-2026) working organisations and other donors. The Programme to empower producer organisations in Mali’s southern also builds on existing programmes run by German zone. Project ambitions are to increase smallholder development cooperation actors. This ensures productivity, boost incomes, strengthen resilience, continuity and a common approach to the issue of and enhance nutrition in the zone by introducing food and nutrition security. improved, climate-smart techniques, technologies, ƒ Promotion of Agricultural Finance for Agri-based and farming practices. RTI leads the activity consortium Enterprises in Rural Areas (2016-25) (BMZ funded, which includes the Inter-Church Organisation GIZ implemented). The project advises and supports for Development Cooperation, Association des the expansion of financial institutions into the Organisations Professionelles Paysannes, International agricultural sector and assists them with developing Fertilizer Development Center, Vétérinaires Sans adapted financial services. This process is based on Frontières, and North Carolina A&T University. Sènè the business models the project has identified as Yiriwa is complemented by a market systems activity viable. (Sugu Yiriwa) working in the same communes to ƒ Strengthening national agricultural extension in collectively develop the supply and demand side of Mali. (2022-23) (Co-funded by BMZ and Affaires agricultural production. Mondiales Canada (AMC)/Global Affairs Canada; • The project’s focus on strengthening producer implemented by GIZ). The project contributes organisations to deliver inclusive, diversified extension to harnessing the value of small-scale irrigation and nutrition advisory services is relevant to the systems in the long-term. To do so, the project is GGW, with the strong recommendation that has been developing a new version of the national programme expressed on working more closely with producer for small-scale irrigation based on past results organisations. and experience. This will incorporate economic, • The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation agro-ecological, gender-sensitive and nutrition- (SDC) funds several projects: based aspects. It is also supporting the National Directorate of Agriculture in adopting a national ƒ Soutien au Dispositif National de Sécurité agricultural extension system and developing Alimentaire -PRESA (2022-25): The SDC aims to integrated framework planning in two selected strengthen the institutional and organisational regions. capacities of the national food security system to improve the prevention and management of cyclical crises and increase the resilience of vulnerable OTHER PROJECTS - PROJECTS WITH A FOCUS populations to food and nutrition insecurity. ON ENERGY ƒ Programmeme d’Appui aux Filières Agropastorales de Sikasso - PAFA 2 (2021-2024): In partnership PROJECTS CURRENTLY UNDERWAY: with Luxembourg, Switzerland supports family farms, the private sector and communities, each in • The Desert to Power launched in 2019 by the their own role, in the development of the potato and AfDB and its partners, is designed to increase solar milk sectors in southern Mali, thereby generating generation capacity to provide 250 million people with sustainable employment and income opportunities, electricity access across Africa’s Sahel region. The particularly for women and young people. project focuses on Senegal, Nigeria, Mauritania, Mali, ƒ Resil - Project to strengthen resilience and social Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti cohesion in the Dogon plateau (2020-2022): This and Eritrea. project seeks to improve land productivity and • Multi-energy for Resilience and Integrated Territorial strengthen mechanisms for managing land disputes. Management Project (MERIT) (2019-2026) – see details The project contributes to conflict prevention and in section on climate change projects listed above. increasing resilience. UNDER DEVELOPMENT: • The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) funds several projects: Multi-Energy for Resilience and Integrated Territorial Management (under definition / US$50.8 million) with ƒ Green Innovation Centres for the Agriculture and IFAD and Agronome and Veterinaires Sans Frontieres. Food Sector (GIC) (2014-2026) BMZ funded and (African Union 2022) implemented by the EU, SDC and GIZ. The focus of the work is on smallholdings in 21 selected value chains. These farms are supported primarily through the provision of advisory services and educational and training courses, with the goal of enabling them to use input-based, technical, knowledge-based and organisational innovations to improve their productivity, income and climate resilience in the long term. ƒ Global Programme Food and Nutrition Security, Enhanced Resilience (2014-2026) (BMZ funded, COUNTRY REVIEW 39 Bibliography Balde Loum, Centre d’Étude, de Recherche et de Formation en Langues Africaines (CERFLA) – online survey, completed on 7 October 2022. Bayala Jules (Dr.), CIFOR-ICRAF representative for the Sahel region and M. Touré Ibrahim, CIFOR-ICRAF representative for the Mali office. Interview held on 30 November 2022. FAO. 2012. Strategie et plan d’action de mise en oeuvre de la GMV au Mali, https://www.fao.org/faolex/results/ details/es/c/LEX-FAOC169056/#:~:text=Le%20plan%20 d’action%20de,Changements%20Climatiques%20sur%20 la%20Gestion FAO 2022 document’ suivi des politiques agricoles aet alimentatires au Mali 2022’ https://www.fao.org/ documents/card/es/c/CB8952FR/ Flintan F., Diop A. and Coulibaly M. 2022. Opportunities for Participatory Rangeland Management (PRM) in the Great Green Wall Initiative in Mali and Senegal. ILRI Project Report. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI. Germaine Neyra, We Forest. Online survey, completed on 7 October 2022). ILRI PCLS. 2022. Climate finance mapping in Mali and Senegal. Progress Report dated 23/07/2022 Keita, I. 2022. FAO-Mali. Interview held on 20 October 2022. Keita, M. 2022. Technical Advisor to the Ministry of Rural Development and member of the GMV Board of Directors. Interview held on 19 October 2022. Traore, B. Bouare, Y. Nikoi, G. Zougmoré, R.B., 2021 Developing Public Private Partnerships for effective access and use of climate information service by farmers and pastoralists in the Great Green Wall intervention zone of Mali. CCAFS Working Paper no. 413. CGIAR Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). Available online at: www.ccafs.cgiar.org UNCCD. 2022. United for lands: from national coalitions to a pipeline of bankable projects for the Great Green Wall. GGW Accelerator technical brief n°3. JUNE 2022. Available from: https://static1.squarespace.com/ static/564a15a0e4b0773edf86e3b4/t/62ab0989cf39ec08 51140a0d/1655376270128/GGWA+Technical+Brief+N3_ June2022.pdf