Mali Launches Advanced Drought Monitoring System to Protect Agriculture

Bamako, Mali - In response to growing concerns over recurring droughts that threaten food security and rural livelihoods, Mali has introduced a new digital platform designed to track and analyze drought conditions in real time. The Mali Drought Monitoring System (MaliDMS) aims to strengthen early warning capacities and support data-driven decision-making for agricultural resilience.

Droughts remain one of the most severe natural hazards affecting Mali’s economy and food production. The National Directorate of Agriculture (Direction Nationale de l’Agriculture, DNA) has long stressed the urgent need for a reliable monitoring system to identify drought-affected areas and evaluate their impact on key crops. The initiative seeks to improve the accuracy of national agricultural statistics and help authorities craft targeted policies to mitigate the effects of water scarcity.

Developed using Water Productivity through Open-access Remotely sensed data (WaPOR) from FAO and other high-resolution satellite sources, the MaliDMS provides near real-time assessments of drought onset, duration, and severity. Its interactive interface displays dynamic maps and graphs that visualize changes in precipitation, vegetation health, and soil moisture, giving policymakers and farmers a clearer picture of evolving drought conditions.

MaliDMS employs Level 1 WaPOR data with a spatial resolution of 300 meters, updated every 10 days, to deliver detailed insights on indicators such as actual and reference evapotranspiration (AETI and RET), precipitation (P), and net primary production (NPP). These datasets enable national, regional, and local assessments of drought impact.

Users can access, analyze, and download results in multiple formats, with the platform available in both English and French. By integrating advanced satellite analytics with open data principles, MaliDMS represents a significant step toward improving drought preparedness and safeguarding agricultural productivity across the country.