VZCZCXYZ0004
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBP #0048/01 0291111
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 291111Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY BAMAKO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1074

UNCLAS BAMAKO 000048 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
EEB/TPP/MTAA for Gary Clements 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EAGR PREL ML
SUBJECT: MALI - GHFSI DIPLOMATIC STRATEGY 
 
REF: A. 09STATE124059 B. 09STATE127466 
 
¶1. (U) Embassy Bamako is pleased to submit its Global Hunger and 
Food Security Initiative (GHFSI) diplomatic strategy paper.  Post 
has a robust plan to foster agricultural development.  It 
coordinates closely with the Government of Mali (GOM) and 
international donor partners.  We have identified several policy 
areas which could benefit from increased diplomatic engagement as 
well as opportunities to improve collaboration with third-country 
partner nations.  The GHFSI diplomatic strategy addresses each of 
the five core principles individually. 
 
A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO FOOD SECURITY 
 
¶2. (U) Advancing Agricultural-Led Growth: Embassy Bamako administers 
approximately USD 125 million annually to foster agricultural 
development.  This includes funding by USAID, MCC, and other 
programs. The Alatona Irrigation Project is the largest component of 
the MCC compact and provides a catalyst for the transformation and 
commercialization of family farms.  Alatona supports Mali's national 
development strategy objectives to increase the contribution of the 
rural sector to economic growth and help achieve national food 
security.  The project focuses on large-scale water conveyance 
systems to provide improved irrigation to the Niger River Inner 
Delta, a principal and potentially much richer agricultural zone in 
Mali producing rice and other basic grains.  This component further 
strengthens the capacity of the farmers to achieve food security 
through land titling, farm to market road upgrades, community 
infrastructure development, literacy, crop diversity and water 
management training. 
 
¶3. (U) USAID has a broad program to advance agriculture-led growth. 
Its programs include increasing production of basic grains; 
improving animal husbandry and livestock management (including 
cattle, goats, sheep, and chickens); instructing rice producers on 
techniques to allow combined rice and aquaculture (fish) production; 
improving seed quality in collaboration with the Malian Ministry of 
Agriculture (MOA); teaching alternative irrigation techniques for 
semi-arid climates; training small- and mid-scale farmers in market 
development skills; coordinating with other USAID missions on 
development of regional trade corridors; and providing technical 
assistance to local financial institutions to develop financial 
products which better address the agricultural sector's needs. 
USAID-Mali is also exploring the possibility of improving secondary 
roads to assist rural farmers in getting their produce to market. 
 
¶4. (U) Both USAID and MCC's programs address the needs of the 
ultra-poor and women in Mali.  Over 70 percent of Malians depend on 
agriculture for their livelihood; the majority falls in the category 
of extreme poverty.  Women are the primary small-scale farmers and 
generally manage family flocks of small ruminants (goats and sheep) 
and chickens, which are the activities Embassy Bamako's programs 
most directly target.  Post is also working with the Malian Ministry 
for the Advancement of Women and Children (MAWC) to integrate MAWC 
programs into the GOM's broader agricultural development strategy. 
 
¶5. (U) Two main policy issues have the potential to hinder the 
effectiveness of Post's programs:  land titling and application of 
trade policy.  Land titling in Mali is not particularly troublesome 
except in the agricultural sector where it is highly politicized and 
often inaccessible to women.  Legal land titling also runs into 
complex traditional land rights claims.  Post has the intention of 
integrating land title assistance into its agricultural programs and 
is feeling out opportunities for coordination with other donor 
partners. 
 
¶6. (U) To support the development of regional trade corridors, the 
Embassy Political/Economic Section (Pol/Econ) will work with USAID 
to identify West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) 
internal tariff reductions t@rJgS~!2| the Malian Ministries of 
Commerce and Finance.  A lack of transparency in the application of 
customs rules and duties across borders in West Africa hinders the 
development of regional markets. Post will continue to work closely 
with Embassy Dakar on this issue as well as bring it to the 
attention of the Malian Ministries of Commerce and Finance. 
Additionally, during the food security scare of 2007-2008, many 
countries closed their borders to exports in attempts to lower 
prices on agricultural products; this harms producers, who cannot 
sell their production at prevailing market prices, as well as 
encourages the development of black markets.  In the event of price 
spikes at the local, regional, and/or international level, Post will 
be proactive in encouraging the GOM to keep its borders open for 
exports of local agricultural products. 
 
¶7. (U) Under-nutrition: Post currently works on medical 
under-nutrition through USAID's health programs.  Regarding general 
under-nutrition, USAID currently has a flour enrichment program with 
Grands Moulins du Mali - the largest flour mill in Mali.  USAID is 
currently investigating the possibilities of further fortification 
programs as well as consumer education campaigns on nutritional 
health. 
 
¶8. (U) Humanitarian Assistance: Post currently provides humanitarian 
assistance through PL480 Food for Peace funds.  USAID is currently 
working to integrate health components and agricultural technical 
assistance into its PL480 programs to better leverage the 
opportunities to work with the ultra-poor. 
 
INVESTING IN COUNTRY-LED PLANS 
 
¶9. (U) USAID and the European Union Mission to Mali worked closely 
with the MOA to develop Mali's Comprehensive Africa Agriculture 
Development Program (CAADP) strategy, which outlines Mali's 
agricultural development needs and strategy and which Mali signed in 
November 2009.  The CAADP strategy was partially coordinated through 
the multilateral Technical and Financial Partners (PTF) Group on 
Agriculture, currently led by the UN Food and Agriculture 
Organization Resident Representative (FAO ResRep) to Mali.  A 
follow-up meeting on CAADP implementation, including the 
participation of international donors and the Ministries of 
Agriculture and Integration, will take place in May/June 2010. 
 
¶10. (SBU) The PTF group on Agriculture is facing a serious 
leadership crisis.  The FAO ResRep has not called a meeting of the 
PTF in over three months.  Two partner nations have asked USAID to 
take responsibility of the PTF when the leadership rotates this 
year.  USAID's ability to exercise a stronger leadership role in the 
PTF entirely depends on planned staffing increases in the USAID-Mali 
Accelerated Economic Growth program. 
 
¶11. (U) On a bilateral basis, USAID is coordinating closely with the 
MOA.  In particular, USAID has developed a strong relationship with 
the Statistics and Planning Department of the MOA.  Pol/Econ will 
follow up with the Ministry of Finance to ensure the GOM holds to 
its commitment to spend 10 percent of its national budget on 
agricultural development. 
 
STRATEGIC COORDINATION AND LEVERAGING THE MULTILATERALS 
 
¶12. (SBU) Strategic Coordination: As mentioned above, Post has been 
active in coordinating with donor partners through the PTF group on 
agriculture.  As soon as USAID has the necessary staff to take a 
leadership role in the group, it intends to do so.  Post also 
intends to reach out to other development partners, such as the 
Japanese (who have a rice marketing strategy that is not coordinated 
with other donors), to bring them into the coordination process. 
 
¶13. (U) Leveraging the benefits of Multilateral Institutions: 
Embassy Bamako has actively supported the World Bank's Investment 
Climate Assessment (ICA) program in Mali.  This program aims to 
improve the business climate in Mali to promote private sector 
development.  Post is also looking into additional ways of 
increasing cooperation with the World Bank. 
 
DELIVERING ON A SUSTAINED AND ACCOUNTABLE COMMITMENT 
 
¶14. (U) Post is currently taking advantage of the six-month period 
between Mali's signing of its CAADP strategy and the follow-up 
meeting in May/June 2010 to gather information which will fill 
analytical gaps on nutrition, adult literacy, climate change, and 
secondary road development.  By maintaining close contact with key 
donor partners (e.g. the Dutch and the Japanese) and with the MOA, 
Post will attempt to keep the GOM on track to complete its 
commitments in its CAADP strategy.