A northern perspective: Case Study on Mali

When looking at a map of Northern Africa, the countries vary in size, geographical extent, and climate. Looking back at last week's blog, I wanted to choose a country for this week's case study that I know little about yet still intrigues me. This is why I chose Mali, it has the Niger River running through it, a transboundary river, which means that in a political sense conflicts could erupt, and in a geographical sense, Mali has a source of water. I am interested in learning more about the connection between water and food in Mali as it is a central northern African country that has had lots of issues in the past. According to WaterAid, Mali is one of the “hottest places on earth” as its lands extend into the Sahara Desert, being a large country (Ouedraogo). This fact has me questioning if this means that with increased climate change Mali will be heating even more and experiencing things such as increased erosion and desertification?

A map of Mali (Free World Maps)

Mali relies on its agricultural sector for its economy as 80% of its population is somehow engaged within it (USAID, 2019). Furthermore, 33% of the country’s GDP is in direct relation to the agricultural sector (Export.gov, 2019). This again shows a pattern we have been seeing throughout this whole course, African countries from the North to the South all rely on agriculture as their primary means of economic growth. Mali’s economic growth could increase if its lands are used correctly, the country has the potential to develop in the South and Central regions wherein the government could pursue better water management and land transactions(Export.gov, 2019). However, this comes with complications from climate change, private investments and weather variability.

A chart showing the staple crops of Mali and when they are grown (FAO) 

In order for agriculture to be successful, there needs to be water. Mali’s agricultural lands are mostly dependent on rainfall (Feedthefuture, USAID). The seasonality of rainfall in Mali is changing today due to climate change which further aggravates poverty, low crop yields, and conflicts. Yet investments are needed which is what the United States government prides itself on, as it has presented that the agricultural sector in Mali is the “cornerstone of the economy” (USAID, 2019). This is why there is a project happening in Mali called, Feed the Future where the US government wants to invest in making a more privatized approach to water resources in Mali (USAID, 2019). This to me came as a surprise as after having our lecture on community water supplies and development, privatization of water strikes me as a bit of a negative connotation for some communities. I am afraid that in Mali the private sector would pair with the government and create corruption scandals and therefore more small scale irrigation is needed. With further research, I found that USAID had looked into small scale irrigation projects and is in a partnership with another foreign development firm to “support the Malian governments' national Program for Small Scale Irrigation.” (USAID, 2019) With this information, I have new hope as we had also talked about small scale irrigation in lecture and in discussion groups and found that most countries who adopt and engage in small scale irrigation prosper more than large scale projects as water resources are minimal, and can be distributed more equitably with small scale projects.

Example of a Small Scale Irrigation system in Mali (World Economics Forum)

The water resource used most commonly in Mali is groundwater (Toure, Diekkrüger, & Mariko, 2016) as it has always been there and with the river running through the country there are several aquifers of interest. A case study done on the Klela Basin in Mali showed that groundwater has been decreasing each year. This poses a problem as this basin provides food for a large percent of the population and the groundwater supply is used for irrigation and drinking. The groundwater is collected in wells by the citizens however these wells have been experiencing more droughts (Toure, Diekkrüger, & Mariko, 2016). This is to show how climate change will be an imperative problem in Mali if we do nothing to stop it. Irrigation and drinking are two of the most important sources of water, without them, no food or lifestyle will continue. Through this study, it was also declared that by 2030 more frequent and severe droughts will occur which will continue to threaten agriculture, and domestic use (Toure, Diekkrüger, & Mariko, 2016).


Mali brings up issues we have seen in many different countries throughout the African continent. Mali has proven to be difficult as its primary reliance for water is rainfall which is changing at rapid speeds, however, it also brings hope for other countries as there could be a silver lining if the small scale irrigation project brought on by the government succeeds. Northern Africa as we saw in my previous blog does differ from the South, however after this case study I am seeing more similarities in the connections between water and food with all the countries since they all struggle with the same issues: having enough water to create enough food to feed their populations.

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