In 2005, Mrs Ma mouna Sidibé Coulibaly, a secretary by training, had just returned from working for a seed company in the United States where she had dreamed of creating a label for her country’s seeds. More than that, she dreamed of creating a company that would produce, package and distribute high quality seeds in Mali.

1. 


We chose this
name to show that the seeds we sell are improved seed
varieties from Malian research, and therefore produced
locally,
The
to cooperatives and organizations with guarantee
funds. The bank made me understand that giving
money for this purpose to a private operator like me
was not one of its responsibilities.

Our mission was to assist in
to buy agricultural inputs.
They still did not have access
to quality seeds. At the end of each cropping season,
they complained of having invested their money in
herbicides, but without gaining a good harvest.

The trigger that moved the dream into reality came
when Mrs Maïmouna Sidibé Coulibaly heard the
testimony of a farmer, who showed interest in buying
the improved seeds from research, but could not get
them in quantity while they were free of charge.






We tried to get
closer to the countryside; and by word of mouth and
support from the Rural Economy Institute (IER), which
directed farmers to me for seeds, the company started
operating.
Faso Kaba: one woman’s vision for the business of seeds



2. 





3. 








My wish is to make improved
seeds available throughout Mali and distribute them
to farmers.
My
mom was a producer (nearly 500 kg of sorghum per
cropping season); that’s how she fed us. She had
no access to improved seeds at that time. Producing
and marketing tons of improved seeds is therefore
a source of satisfaction and great pride for me; and
above all this, I feel that through the activities of the
company I am rendering service to farmers, and this
means that I am somehow useful to farmers.


Women have strong interest in operating
in the seed sector but they mostly lack time because
of their many responsibilities during the peak sale
periods of seeds when they would need to be 100%
available.

