Stakeholder consultation workshop on the rice–fish system: AICCRA workshop report

Abstract

The Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) initiative is a World Bank–funded project designed to scale climate-smart agriculture (CSA) solutions and climate-information services (CIS) for smallholder farmers across Africa. Through collaboration with national and regional partners, AICCRA seeks to equip millions of farmers with access to improved CIS and validated CSA technologies and practices. In Mali, AICCRA focuses on promoting sustainable and profitable rice–fish systems to enhance food security, income generation and improved livelihoods for smallholder farmers. This work is led by AfricaRice with support from other CGIAR centers, including WorldFish.During Phase I (2021–2023), AfricaRice and WorldFish achieved several key milestones, including the development of a rice–fish suitability map for Mali. Stakeholder consultations conducted at the Phase I wrapup workshop highlighted the importance of capacity building and also developing training and communication materials to help expand and share knowledge on rice–fish systems. Building on these recommendations,WorldFish launched Phase II (2024–2025), which has focused on refining the rice–fish suitability map by incorporating additional decision-making factors. This iterative process is guided by continuous stakeholder engagement, feedback, and validation. In parallel, WorldFish has designed training modules tailored to address their most important needs. On July 10, 2025, WorldFish and AfricaRice co-organized a multistakeholder validation workshop at Hôtel l’Amitié in Bamako, Mali.