Impact of digital platforms for disseminating climate information services on rice yield, farmers' income and food consumption in Mali
2025
Diallo, Aboubacar | Suh, Neville | Dossou-Yovo, Elliott
This report presents the outcomes of the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) Mali project, which aimed to enhance climate resilience in rice-based farming systems through the dissemination of geo-specific climate information services (CIS) using digital platforms. Conducted between 2021 and 2025, the study employed a clustered randomized control trial (cRCT) design across the Sikasso, Koulikoro, and Ségou regions to assess the impacts of digital CIS platforms—such as WhatsApp, phone calls, SMS, and radio—on farmers’ rice yields, incomes, and food security. A total of 427,155 rice farmers, 41% of whom were women, accessed CIS through these platforms. The results indicate that access to CIS via WhatsApp led to significant improvements, increasing rice yields by 1,600 kg/ha, household income by USD 561, and food consumption scores by 11 points. Key determinants of adoption included education, farm size, remittance receipts, distance to farms, drought exposure, off-farm income activities, and household storage practices. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of digital platforms in delivering personalized CIS, improving farmers' adaptive capacities, and enhancing livelihoods in climate-vulnerable rice systems in Mali.
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