Diversified crops help during lean times

Assetou Mounkoro, a 10-year-old girl, is a World Vision Registered Child. Her family farms and they grow millet, rice, peanuts, phonio and beans. They also have a few animals such as three horses, a few oxen, sheep and a donkey. 

Their village is surrounded by various crops, a small lake with livestock grazing on the water’s edge. This area used to grow large quantities of corn many years ago, but during the recent years very little has been grown. In 2010, World Vision had a training on growing corn. “This was like an awakening of corn crops,” explains Yousouf Mounkoro, Assetou’s father. In 2010, the farmers formed an association and World Vision gave them corn seeds. 

The members of the farmers’ association help each other in the field by cultivating the soil or bringing in the harvest. Each member contributes a fee which is then saved in a bank account. These funds are used to buy fertilizer that is too expensive for individual farmers to buy. The farmers’ association has 80 members which includes 12 women. 

In 2011, many farmers saw the advantages of cultivating corn. Corn grows quicker than other crops and can be harvested earlier, therefore ending the lean season sooner. 

The corn harvest is used for families’ consumption. Corn can be served in many different forms, for example, porridge, cake, couscous, or just grill on the fire. Furthermore, the children like to eat corn. If there is lots of rain then the surplus can be sold. Once harvested, the best corn kernels are kept for next year’s crop. 

In 2010, there was a good corn harvest. During 2011, there has been less rain. 

Farmers are able to diversify their crops when they receive corn seed from the Area Development Programme (ADP) staff. This is important, explains Youssouf. “Different soils accept different crops, therefore it is important to diversify the crops.” It is better to diversify the crops, Youssouf adds. “If the rice doesn’t grow then the corn can grow.” 


Youssouf would like to increase production by making fertilizer from manure. Last year he harvested about 1,500 kg of corn. Assetou’s mother, Miriam Diarra, is a housewife but also grows and sells onion on a small scale. 

Assetou is on holiday at the moment. When school starts in October she will enter Grade 6. Her favourite subject is mathematics which will be useful one day as she would like to sell goods when she grows up. “I like to eat corn, especially the corn cake!” says a shy Assetou. 

Assetou helps her mother by sweeping the house, pounding millet and washing the dishes.
During her holiday, she helps sow the seed in the ground and remove the weeds from amongst the crops. She likes to play a hand clapping and singing games with her friends. 

She received a mosquito net from World Vision. “I like to sleep underneath a mosquito net because mosquitoes cannot bite me. If I don’t sleep under a mosquito net then the mosquitoes will bring me disease (malaria),” says a knowledgeable Assetou. 

Improving the food security of families is one of the five areas of intervention for World Vision Mali. The other areas include educational growth and development of boys and girls, improving the health and nutritional status of children under five years and women of reproductive age, access to safe water and environmental sanitation and availability and accessibility of financial credit for entrepreneurial poor.