Lessons from innovation platforms in 31 communes have helped tailor livestock development activities in Mali. Leveraging these platforms has helped scientists and development actors identify intervention entry points for collective action. The lessons learned have highlighted the importance of governance and leadership to ensure that the collective action is sustainable.

This project brief explains key scaling up approaches used in the Feed the Future Mali Livestock Scaling Technology Program, the main goals and scope of its innovation platforms and the stakeholders involved.

Started in January 2016, the program focuses on improving animal health delivery services, promoting health interventions that reduce disease burden in livestock and increasing the availability of quality feed for livestock. Working with more than 260,000 livestock keepers in the Mopti, Timbuktu and Sikasso regions in Mali, the three-year program also facilitates better market access for producers.

With its goal of fostering the transformation of the livestock value chains, the program is developing partnerships with key stakeholders using innovation platforms. The platforms are used as mechanisms to harness collective action to address constraints and opportunities related to animal health and ruminant livestock development as a whole. The aim is to empower livestock value chain stakeholders to scale up solutions to shared challenges.

Download the brief Feed the Future Mali: Scaling up technological and institutional livestock innovations