Rural Information System for the Mandé Region - Mali

The local non-governmental organisation AAAG (Association d’Aide et d’Appui aux Groupements) has been created in 1990, with the objective to capacitate and enhance local farmers' organizations in the Mandé and the Tiakadougou region. It currently works with 102 local organizations in 35 villages, which are regrouped in the Fabema (Fédération des Organisations de Base du Mandén). The main objective of AAAG is to empower Fabema to the level that it is able to sustain its activities itself.

One of the main obstacles the Fabema faces is the lack of communication between its headquarters in Bancoumana and in Dangassa and the other villages it is supposed to cover, and between the headquarters and AAG in Bamako. The current project, which started in December 2004, is intended to address this communication problem, using a combined system of shortwave radio (RAC, powered by solar systems) in five selected villages, and Internet at the level of AAAG in Bamako. Information can be sent from Bamako to all the connected villages and the other way around, and between the villages themselves.

The Mandé region (south of Bamako) is one of the very poorly developed areas of the country. Infrastructure is virtually non-existent, and services for the population are scarce or have difficulties to reach their target groups. A vast majority of the people living in this regio live from farming. The Mandé region (south of Bamako) is one of the very poorly developed areas of the country. Infrastructure is virtually non-existent, and services for the population are scarce or have difficulties to reach their target groups. A vast majority of the people living in this regio live from farming.

Read more about IICD's Mali Country Programme.

All five RAC-stations are operational, and the two headquarters of Fabema are also equipped with computer and photocopy equipment. A small group of local users has been trained in the use of the RAC-equipment and in the basic use of ICT and multimedia.

AAAG's equipment and capacity has been enhanced and its Internet connexion has been improved. During the project period, the organisation has fully embedded ICT.

While the initial focus of the project laid on market price information for farmers, it became clear that Fabema's main production is being sold on small local markets - between which price differences are too small to make it interesting to transport perishable products hin or fro. And while the RAC system does fulfill a need for general communication and mutual information, it also became apparent that that in itself does not justify the investment.

During the extension phase of the project, the focus shifted to capacity building of local trainers on the use of multimedia tools for enhancing awareness raising on health issues. Extension workers from Fabema and AAAG started to work together with the Communal Health Centres (CSComs) on vaccination, AIDS prevention and mothercare campaigns, using digital photocamera's, videocamera's and slideshow presentations to enhance the impact of these campaigns.

First phase:

• Improve the farmers' results via an improved circulation of information on agricultural production techniques.
• Facilitate farmers' access to national and international markets and enhance the commercialisation of their products.
• Improve the speed of communication betwee 3AG and Fabema , and between Fabema and 3AG.
• Improve communication and information streams between the five communes in which RAC's will be placed. 
• Cut down the number of necessary physical visits to the villages by the extension workers.
• Enhance the production and the productivity of the beneficiaries
• Improve the income of the beneficiaries
• Enforce the autonomisation process of Fabema

Extension phase:

Next to the existing objectives, two extra focus points were added:

• Enhance Health awareness campaigns (cCommunication pour Changement de Comportement) to the beneficiaries of the covered zones
• Enhance collaboration with 7 CSCOMs in the region

The RAC's have as positive influence on the communication and information flows in the region. Important information on market opportunities, weather forecasts etc. now reach a portion of the beneficiaries.

The project's focus on enhancement of Health campaigns via multimedia seems to be a big success - both in terms of collaboration with other service structutres (CsCOMS in this case) as in terms of impact on the beneficiaries - who indicate that they understand and memorize the issues far better when images are associated to the teachings.

Read more about IICD's approach towards Health.

The project is managed by AAAG in Bamako, and implemented by two extension workers of Fabema in Bancoumana and Dangassa, together with 12 volunteers who assure the continuity of the RAC-stations in the villages.

At the level of AAAG, there is a project leader who coordinates all activities and reports to IICD, and there are three sector specialists (Health, Education, Agriculture) who develop specific activities with Fabema along their topics of interest.