Women do not cultivate rice in the north of Mali. They do not work in the irrigated perimeters during land preparation, irrigation, or even during planting and harvesting. Only a few of the more tedious tasks-- removing seedlings from the nurseries, weeding, and threshing-- are done by women.
Working with Africare over the past five years, a women’s group in the village of Findoukaina has obtained a diesel motor water pump, which they use to irrigate their market vegetable gardens during the cool season. During the rice-growing season, the women use their pump only to earn money by pumping water for the male rice farmers, but do not have any fields of their own.
October, 2008
The Women of Findoukaina
SRI Timbuktu Blog
Nine SRI farmers from Morikoira and Findoukaina villages during the farmer visit to Findoukaina (picture left). Maya Abdoulaye and Maya Hama proudly showing their plots to the male SRI farmers (right).
During village meetings to identify farmers wishing to take part in the SRI tests, we encouraged women to participate, even though we knew that women do not usually plant rice. To our surprise, the village of Findoukaina selected two members of the womens’ group, Maya Abdoulaye and Maya Hama, to participate in the SRI tests.
Like all the women in Findoukaina, neither of them had ever grown rice before. But they were helped by all 20 members of the women’s group to establish and manage the SRI plots, closely following the technical advice from the Africare field agent. They did all the work-- plowing, field leveling, and planting -- themselves, with no help from the men (see pictures).
After having looked at all the SRI plots, before the farmer visitor’s group left the village, the women of Findoukaina started singing and dancing to show their excitement and pride in their work. Maya Abdoulaye added:
“ This year, we learned about SRI. Next year, all 20 group members will plant their own SRI fields.”
