Feed the Future

The Government of Mali's vision for the peaceful and prosperous future of the country depends on catalyzing an underdeveloped agricultural sector to fill its potential in stimulating broad-based economic growth and nourishing its population. According to the most recent census, 80 percent of Mali's population is under 24 years old and is increasingly migrating to the cities in search of better opportunities. Most employment opportunities will lie in the rural sector in the immediate future, however. The United States Government (USG) /Mali's Feed the Future (FTF) strategy seeks to launch a new generation of rural entrepreneurs through developing sustainable agricultural and health systems, utilizing technology and knowledge, and by building institutional capacity that will spur a vibrant private sector-led approach to achieve economic and food security. To do so, USG /Mali will build on the successes of its historic investments in agriculture and health; leverage the wealth of bilateral and multilateral donors that invest annually in Mali, and target interventions that are the most critical in transforming subsistence farming into an economic opportunity for Mali's youthful population. Its FTF strategy will commit mission resources across all sectors - education, health, governance, and economic growth - and from USG partners in the Department of State, Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Department of Commerce to provide key interventions that unlock FTF potential. In five years, USG/Mali will build the following attributes into FTF target areas: >Sustainable market linkages. >Systems to access technology and knowledge about agriculture and nutrition. >Policies that largely support agricultural development. >Sufficient farm-community based infrastructure. >Local government leadership addressing community priorities in health and agriculture. >Human capacity that understands agriculture as an income generating opportunity. >Community leaders and mothers that understand the basics of child-hood nutrition.