Women’s Cooperatives at the Heart of Inclusive and Sustainable Rural Development

In Mali, women-led agricultural cooperatives are true drivers of social and economic change. Since 2021, the Dou Touloma project has supported 84 organizations from the Koulikoro, Ségou, Sikasso, Dioila, and San regions in strengthening their professionalism, inclusive governance, and ability to adapt to environmental challenges. 

The Dou Touloma project is funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by the International Agricultural Alliance, a consortium of three Canadian organizations: Socodevi, CECI, and UPA-DI. 

Through training, tailored management tools, and access to solidarity-based financing, Dou Touloma helps build a model of sustainable rural development led by women and rooted in local realities. This support has reached 10,107 women farmers since the project began.

Discover how two cooperatives supported by Dou Touloma — Benkadi in Dioïla and Tièssiri in Kolobo-Koulikoro—are driving this transformation. 

Benkadi Cooperative: From Solidarity to Structure

Created in 2000 by a group of women from the Dougoukono Wolonèkin neighborhood in Dioïla, Benkadi was born from a simple idea: join forces to improve income-generating activities. 

Initially informal, the organization became officially registered in 2016 under the name SCOOPS OHADA and now has 63 active members. However, limited governance training and literacy skills hindered effective management in its early years. 

Thanks to Dou Touloma, a turning point occurred:  

• Women now understand the importance of statutes, transparency, and proper administrative, financial, and accounting practices. 
• Five young women, trained and literate thanks to the project, formed a support committee to assist elected leaders with management tools. 
• Several management tools are now rigorously applied: member registers, cash and bank books, stock sheets, purchase and sales records, meeting minutes… 

“Today, our accounts are clear, decisions are shared with all members, and our general assemblies are held transparently.” 

This progress strengthens Benkadi’s credibility with local authorities and inspires other women’s cooperatives in the region. 

SCOOPS Tièssiri in Kolobo: A Model of Performance and Autonomy

Founded in 2005, the Sesame Producers Cooperative of Kolobo (Tièssiri) now brings together 55 members, including 35 women. 

For years, competition from itinerant buyers and lack of financing forced early sales at low prices. The support of Dou Touloma’s Economic Support Fund (FAE) changed everything: 

• Immediate purchase of harvests, 
• Campaign loans for vulnerable women producers, 
• Creation of a community fund with moderate interest rates for the entire village. 

These innovations created a ripple effect: agricultural yields increased, members’ incomes improved, and community cohesion grew stronger. In just three years, sales of agroecological sesame rose from 15 tons to over 60 tons, and the 2023–2024 turnover reached 36.48 million CFA francs (about CAD 80,000). 

Today, Tièssiri is the main supplier of agroecological sesame to the Banamba Sesame Producers Union and a shining example of successful women’s empowerment. 

Rural Cooperatives Driving Inclusive and Sustainable Development 

If Benkadi illustrates progress in governance, Tièssiri shows how training, financing, and solidarity can transform a cooperative into a major economic player. Through these examples, Dou Touloma demonstrates that structured, participatory, and inclusive support can sustainably transform rural dynamics. 

Women’s cooperatives, once seen as simple mutual aid groups, are now strong economic actors contributing to local development, women’s empowerment, and environmental sustainability.