Our Stories
Building Food Security and Farming Capacity: The Fish and Poultry Co-operatives of Bétakily, Mali
October 30, 2023
Food security can be a delicate balance for small and subsistence-based communities. Take Bétakily, a hamlet in the village of Médinandi, 3 km west of Fadougou, Mali – site of B2Gold’s Fekola Gold Mine. Until 2015, residents depended on gold panning, fishing, rudimentary agriculture, poultry farming and animal husbandry for their livelihood and survival.
“Traditional modes of fishing and fish farming took place on the Falémé River – a resource rich with fish of all kinds,” says Salia Coulibaly, Community Development Officer at Fekola.
However, starting in 2015, the community saw a surge of migrant gold miners from other regions of Mali, and abroad. This human influx and related artisanal and small-scale mining activities had a severe detrimental effect on the health of the river, and the livelihood of Bétakily residents in general. Where previously fish was a diet staple, it had become scarce and expensive.
The Co-operative Model: Equipping Residents to Protect Local Food Security
Considering the community’s traditional dependence on fishing as a livelihood, and lack of other sustainable protein sources, the Fekola Community Relations team developed two initiatives to address the issues in 2019, in consultation with impacted communities: fish and poultry farming co-operatives.
“If implemented successfully, these two quite ambitious projects would not only meet the needs of Bétakily residents, but also those of the neighbouring communities of Fadougou, Médinandi, and Tintiba, as well as Bofeto in Senegal,” says Salia.
Via its Fekola Community Relations team, B2Gold coordinated and financed the construction of all infrastructure to develop fish and poultry farming co-operatives, including the purchase and supply of 1,000 broiler chicks, 1,000 laying chicks, fingerlings, consumables for start-up, and capacity-building for co-operative members.
Partners in Cultivating Success: B2Gold and Local Stakeholders
Fish and poultry project implementation occurred between 2019 and 2021, with the support of several essential stakeholders:
- The Djet N’Agraire Consulting project managed the fish and poultry farming initiatives
- Fekola Technical Development Committee ensured the projects met the requirements of the Fekola Community Development Plan
- BEDL & NIS Conseil Design built two fishponds and a modern chicken coop, and supported the establishment of fish and poultry management co-operatives, including capacity-building and supervision of co-operative members managing the new facilities
- Local Government Fisheries and Livestock Services, and Local Urban Services, personnel provided technical support and monitoring, ensuring quality and sustainability
- Bétakily Hamlet Chiefdom, as the main beneficiary of the projects, granted land and led the community in supporting these projects
A Legacy of Plenty: Community Health and Nutrition
Today, revenue generated from the sales at the two co-operatives is being used to ensure continued operation, as well as finance community projects, and provide micro-financing for hamlet residents.
From 2021 to the end of 2022, the fish and poultry co-operatives made sales of $1,900 and $9,500, respectively – significant for the region. The team added an orchard micro-project next to the fish ponds, using wastewater from the ponds for irrigation.
The impact of these projects has been tangible. “Fish, eggs and poultry are now freely available at market stalls in the surrounding villages, and the price of fish has dropped from around $7.90 to around $3.15 per kilogram,” says Salia. “And due to an initiative led by the hamlet chief, a considerable amount of fish is reserved for consumption in Bétakily households.”
The fish and poultry projects have contributed to major improvements in community health, especially of mothers and children. And the community enjoys food security to this day.
Learn more about how B2Gold supports community initiatives at our operations around the world, in our 2022 Responsible Mining Report.
