At Malô, we believe rice has the power to boost living standards of farmers and at the same time deliver life saving vitamins and minerals to women and children. Specifically, our model increases the incomes of farmers by up to XXX per hectare or XXX per year. The extra income makes it easier for farmers to meet the needs of their families, plant a seoncd rice harvest in the off-season
- Enhance the economic security of Malian farmers by paying premium prices for paddy rice at harvest. In addition to increasing farmers incomes by average of ; 2. increase rice yields by working with partners to train farmers in cultivation techniques; 3. ensure lower priced fertilizers are available (for example, rice husk-based biochar); 4. provide national and international relief agencies subsidized access to mineral and vitamin enriched rice and, 5. encourage urban and rural customer participation in brand loyalty programs thereby enabling Malô to track rice purchases, household size, customer satisfaction, and consumer health benefits.
Malô’s farm-gate to family-plate philosophy is based on the development and implementation of an “impact multiplier” strategy that addresses each stage of an inefficient rice value chain. The systemic barriers to rice production in Mali and throughout West Africa, include: farmers’ lack of knowledge regarding agricultural “best practices”, cost of labour and inputs such as seeds, fertilizer, storage, inef
ficient milling machinery, transportation costs and, the seasonal marketing risks, exacerbated by an inefficient and sometime usuries credit environments.
In summary, Malô’s farm-gate to family-plate model and its strategic collaboration with Mali’s farmers’ cooperatives and international partners will enable Malô to have significant measurable positive impacts on Mali’s micronutrient deficiencies, maternal and child health and their consequences on education, economy and society. Malô’s use of local production will serve to create jobs, boost rural economies and connect small-holder farmers to a growing urban market and the efficacy and efficiency of enriching rice with minerals and vitamins. However, as a social for-profit enterprise, Malô’s ultimate impact will be linked to customer retention, expenses and the achievement of a positive bottom-line.