ABSTRACT
This chapter describes soil and water conservation (SWC) work being carried out by farmers in Central Mali. It focuses on the use of traditional planting pits, known as zai', which have been adapted and improved, bringing higher and more secure crop yields, while also enabling formerly abandoned land to be brought back into cultivation. The NGO CARE has been supporting this work as part of the Agricultural Systems Project, in partnership with the Malian Association for Action Research and Development (AMRAD), in five districts within the Djenne Circle in the fifth administrative region of Mali.
