STAMP+: Building on success

The STAMP+ (Sustainable Technology Adaptation for Mali's Pastoralists) project aims to increase the resilience of pastoral and agropastoral households in Mali through the generation of economic (productivity gains, income) and social benefits (including avoided costs), linked to the use of digital solutions bundled into an innovative service. Started in 2015 with the support of the Netherlands Space Office (NSO) through the G4AW facility, the project has gone through a first phase (2015-2018) of experimentation. Scaling up is currently supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Mali through an extension until 2024.

In Mali, agriculture and livestock are the backbone of people's livelihoods. However, the consequences of climate change and insecurity are affecting the mobility of pastoralists. The traditional way of scouting for natural resources to decide on transhumance routes have become uncertain, costly, and risky. Agricultural activities are also affected by climatic variability, fluctuating market prices and the low level of coverage of the state's technical support network.

GARBAL digital service, which was developed during the first phase of the project, is a decision support service for pastoralists, agro-pastoralists and farmers that provides them with more predictability and reliability in their operations. GARBAL offers instant access to a combination of geo-satellite data and information collected on the ground on many variables: biomass availability, water availability, agro-meteorological information, weather forecasts, and prices of livestock and agricultural products on different markets. GARBAL's call operators also provide advisory services by answering users' requests in local languages.  The service is available through a simple telephone call to 37 333 for a modest cost of 25 FCFA/min (about 0.4€/min).

STAMP+ to create a viable bundled digital service

STAMP+ is based on a public-private partnership which is composed of 1) ORANGE Mali which has been commercially operating the GARBAL service since 2017 and also leads its marketing and promotion , 2) the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries which certifies the information disseminated and supports users’ engagement, 3) Hoefsloot Spatial Solution which collects the satellite data and translates them into actionable information for end users, 4) TASSAGHT, which contributes to the collection of field data and to users’ awareness campaign, and 5) SNV, which designed the service, coordinates the project and ensures that it best meets the needs and expectations of pastoralists, agro-pastoralists and farmers.

The current scaling-up phase involves the geographic expansion of the project into the regions of Kidal, Timbuktu, Mopti, Sikasso and Segou, in addition to the regions initially covered of Gao and Menaka. This phase also aims to strengthen the viability of the GARBAL service business model. In this perspective, the expansion of its offer is underway to integrate new digital solutions. Thus, it is planned to launch an online virtual market, which will increase access to agricultural and livestock inputs and the connection between operators. The expansion of GARBAL's service offer also includes a digital inclusive finance solution.

In the long run, 45,000 pastoral and agro-pastoralists, including 15% of women and youth, are expected to access integrated digital solutions that will increase their income by 10%.