Mali's agriculture
Mali's agriculture plays a crucial role in its economy and energy landscape, particularly in the context of the country's challenges with drought and limited energy resources. As a landlocked nation in the arid Sahel region, Mali faces environmental threats such as desertification, which impact agricultural productivity and energy generation. Traditional energy sources, primarily wood and charcoal, dominate, especially in rural areas where access to electricity is minimal. Only about 26 percent of Malians had electricity access as of 2013, highlighting significant disparities between urban and rural populations.
Mali's agriculture produces a variety of crops, and the residues from these agricultural processes have potential for biofuel production, which could help meet the country’s growing energy demands. With an emphasis on sustainability, the Malian government has implemented programs to promote renewable energy sources and improve energy efficiency. These initiatives include international partnerships aimed at expanding rural electrification and exploring biofuels derived from agricultural waste, which could significantly reduce energy dependency. Collectively, these efforts reflect Mali's ongoing struggle to balance agricultural development with the need for reliable energy resources in a changing climate.
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Mali's agriculture
Official Name: Republic of Mali
Summary: Mali’s agricultural status means that its energy demands are largely residential as opposed to industrial. Mali’s status as a developing nation places increased importance on energy as a vital aspect to economic growth and development.
The landlocked West African republic of Mali has an estimated population of 17.9 million. Mali is prone to drought and desertification because of its location within the arid Sahel region, which threaten its main energy resources of wood and hydropower-generated electricity. National and international rural electrification programs are expanding access to electricity and fueling new energy demand. Mali lacks significant oil reserves and must import its fossil fuels. Biofuels produced from agricultural residue and foodstuffs have attracted international investment to Mali and show promise as a future energy resource.
Traditional energy sources such as charcoal and wood supply most of Mali’s energy needs, especially in rural areas where there is limited access to electricity. Wood is the main energy resource, provided by an estimated 35.6 million acres of forests and woodland areas. Electricity production in Mali is predominantly generated by hydraulic (55 percent) and thermal (44 percent) sources, although the high annual growth in demand for electricity (15 percent) continues to widen the gap between supply and demand. Many Malians rely on wood as a fuel source for home heating. Although the Malian government’s Water and Forests Service oversees protected forest reserves and seeks to develop sustainable usage of this traditional resource, deforestation is a serious issue affecting energy as well as the environment.
Mali’s energy infrastructure supplies electricity, gas, and other modern energy resources to less than one-third of the population. Most fossil fuels are imported, as past petroleum explorations failed to locate any significant national reserves. Hydroelectric dams include the Senegal River Development Organization’s dam at Manantali, operational since 1992, and another at Selingue along the Sankarani River, operational since 1982. The country’s hydroelectric supply, however, faces frequent disruptions due to drought and is threatened by ongoing desertification and the effects of global warming. As a result of its status as a rural, developing nation and its poor energy infrastructure, only approximately 26 percent of the Malian population had access to electricity in 2013. Access among urban residents was higher, at approximately 53 percent, while only 9 percent of rural areas had electricity access.
Mali’s energy demand growth rate is larger than that of its gross domestic product (GDP) and is expected to climb further as increased access to electric grids fuels demand. Energy efficiency and security are also concerns as development continues. The national government has sought to increase access to electricity through the 2005 enactment of a regulatory framework for rural electrification, the creation of its rural electrification agency (AMADER), and through outreach programs. Mali also implemented a new five-year program in 2010 designed to promote energy efficiency. The plan targets energy use reductions in the residential, industrial, and transportation sectors, the development of renewable sources of electricity generation, and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions under the clean development mechanism (CDM).
Mali has also benefited from international rural electrification programs designed as part of overall economic growth and poverty reduction strategies. Yéelen Kura SSD is a decentralized energy service company created through an international rural electrification program led by the French company EdF (Electricite de France) and the Dutch company Nuon. The company supplies electricity to several thousand rural households in an agricultural area of southern Mali. Key delivery methods include the installation of solar home system photovoltaic kits and connection of households to diesel generator powered minigrids. Payment methods include fee-for-service and monthly payment options. International companies such as EdF also provide educational and technical assistance to Malian companies such as SSD Koray Kurumba. Power Africa, a public-private partnership led by the US government, was launched in 2013 in an effort to double access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa, including Mali.
Agricultural residues represent a key potential future source of biofuel energy production. Malian agriculture produces large amounts of residual products that have traditionally been burned off, but could be converted into usable biofuels. Examples include rice husks; millet, cotton, and sorghum stalks; groundnut, peanut, and jatropha shells; and animal dung that are little valorized into energy or other uses. Biofuels have the potential to supply all or part of Mali’s energy needs, which would reduce its energy dependency while aiding economic growth. The West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) has estimated the energy potential of this largely untapped resource at 8 terawatts.
Bibliography
Banks, Douglas, Alix Clark, Katherine Steel, Chris Purcell, and Jonathan Bates. Integrated Rural Energy Utilities: A Review of Literature and Opportunities for the Establishment of an IREU. http://www.reeep.org/file‗upload/5272‗tmpphpE5UJkl.pdf.
International Institute for Environment and Development. “Biofuels in Africa: Growing Small-Scale Opportunities.” http://www.iied.org/pubs/display.php?o=17059IIED.
U.S. Department of Commerce. “Mali - Energy.” Export.gov, 10 Aug. 2017, www.export.gov/article?id=Mali-Energy. Accessed 29 Sept. 2017.
U.S. Energy Information Administration. “Mali.” http://38.96.246.204/countries/country-data.cfm?fips=ML.