September 2010: As part of his tour though Mali and Ghana as part of the the 2010 African Green Revolution Forum, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan visited beneficiaries of the Agrodealer Strengthening Program for Mali, which is funded by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). As AGRA’s Chairman, Kofi Annan has demonstrated his commitment to the development of an infrastructure to serve African smallholder farmers.

The delegation, which included representatives from AGRA and the Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation, visited multiple seed demonstration plots and several agrodealers who have benefited from the program. Delegation members were quite impressed by the number of ASPM farmers who participate in demonstrations and field days, which help disseminate new technologies and product information. Agrodealers, farmers and Ministry of Agriculture officials all expressed appreciation for ASPM’s support and collaboration.