Changing the Rules of the Game so that No One is Left Behind

Many young people and women in Mali try to earn a living from small-scale farming, livestock keeping or rural trades, often with very limited means. In 2025, their prospects changed. Thousands of family farms were supported to use more effective agricultural and livestock practices — such as better animal care, improved soil and water management, or adapted production techniques — that allowed them to increase the quantity and quality of what they produce. The scale at which these producers (including women, youth and other excluded groups), are now able to adopt viable practices illustrates a deeper change: Local market systems are progressively opening to actors who were previously left out.

For several years, many development programs have been running out of steam because they rely solely on "technical solutions" such as distributing inputs, offering one-off training courses, or installing a few pieces of equipment. These isolated approaches do not change the rules of how markets operate or the power relations that determine who can participate ... and who cannot.

In contrast, the inclusive systems approach seeks to change the way actors interact, negotiate, cooperate and create value. Gender equality and social equity are not "add-ons," but structuring principles that guide the very design of the system.

This approach takes on particular significance in rural Mali, which is deeply affected by insecurity and mobility restrictions. Inclusive systems are at the heart of the JIGITUGU project, which is co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Liechtenstein Development Service and implemented by Helvetas. The project illustrates how to transform market systems by integrating rural women, young people, people with disabilities and people leaving prison — even in a tense environment.

But what does an inclusive systems approach really look like in the context of a security crisis? Applying the approach starts with understanding the mechanisms of exclusion.

From social norms to armed checkpoints: Why the most vulnerable remain stuck

Economic exclusion cannot be explained solely by poverty. It stems from restrictive social norms, deeply entrenched power relations and inequality, and markets that do not recognize certain actors as "legitimate." In rural areas of Mali, these mechanisms particularly affect four groups: women, young people, people with disabilities, and people who were formerly incarcerated.

Rural women

For many women, the rules are explicit: They can sell cereals, vegetables or processed products ... but rarely livestock. The trade in husbandry or poultry remains "a man's job," which immediately limits women’s economic choices, and therefore power. Why invest in fattening animals if the sale proceeds will only go to your husband?

Safety concerns around travel, a refusal to allow mixed-gender markets, and increased exposure to violence adds to this insecurity for women. In several areas, women must sit at the back of buses, covered from head to toe, and avoid local fairs where armed groups circulate. These constraints drastically reduce their freedoms and economic opportunities.

Rural youth

In many villages, an unmarried young person is considered "irresponsible" and therefore incapable of making major decisions. Even when married, they remain under the authority of the head of the household who controls access to land, agricultural income and investment choices.

As a result, even when young people develop skills, they lack the decision-making power and resources necessary to implement their activities and aspirations, thus remaining inactive or even disruptive members of society and the economy.

People with disabilities

In rural Mali, people with disabilities that limit their mobility face layered barriers that go beyond general discrimination. Training centers, markets and farm fields are often several kilometers away, with no accessible transport. Families with limited means are rarely able to support daily travel, leading many to remain confined to their homes. Social stigma and internalized shame further reinforce exclusion, particularly for women and children.

This leads to people with disabilities being largely absent from local value chains — not because of a lack of skills or motivation, but because rural systems are not designed to accommodate their physical realities or recognize them as legitimate economic actors.

People leaving prison

In Mali, people leaving prison face particularly severe barriers to reintegration. Prisons are overcrowded and few mechanisms exist to prepare detainees for life after release. As a result, former prisoners return to their communities with no qualifications, no capital and a strong social stigma attached to their past. Many avoid their villages altogether for fear of rejection.

Economic exclusion is interlinked with social exclusion. Input suppliers refuse to sell to them on credit, financial institutions consider them untrustworthy, and employers are reluctant to engage them. This lack of legitimate economic opportunities makes reintegration fragile and increases the risk of re-incarceration or recruitment by armed groups.

JIGITUGU began working with this group after local prison authorities approached the project, highlighting the large number of young detainees incarcerated for minor offences and the lack of support for reintegration.

Reshaping markets to be more inclusive

JIGITUGU's approach is based on a simple idea: Systems change when relationships between actors change. It is not a question of distributing resources, but of transforming the rules that have excluded certain groups.

To strengthen women's economic autonomy, the project collaborated with municipal authorities and traditional leaders to obtain authorization for women to sell their products outside official markets. Agreements with heads of families also gave young people access to plots of land, either individually or collectively, where they can put the skills acquired during their training into practice. For people with disabilities, sectors such as poultry farming, market gardening, fattening and agri-food processing were adapted to meet their specific needs and capacities.

For incarcerated individuals, apprenticeship supervisors now work directly in prisons to offer vocational training that enhances their qualifications before being released. Social services have been mobilized to provide assistance with reintegration, and relationship-building meetings have been organized between former prisoners, business leaders and members of the community. These exchanges have helped to reduce fears and prejudices, which is an essential step in enabling these individuals to regain an active, productive and accepted place in society and the local economy.

Building connection through Local Service Providers

Local Service Providers (LSPs) also play a key role in ensuring all groups have representation in the system. LSPs are locally based economic actors from the communities where the project is implemented. They act as an interface between small producers — including those from the most vulnerable groups — and other actors, such as traders, input suppliers and technical services.

These providers are autonomous actors engaged in real and sustainable economic activity. Their main function is to consolidate the production of dispersed producers, facilitate access to markets, and organize commercial negotiations with buyers capable of absorbing large volumes.

LSPs also play a key role in strengthening skills and production quality. Depending on the sector, they may be directly involved in technical training, support the adoption of improved practices, or relay the quality requirements set by buyers. In several instances, it is the traders or input suppliers themselves who finance or organize these training courses through LSPs, recognizing their interest in investing in producers' skills to secure their supply and distribution network, and to improve product quality.

The sustainability of the system relies on the fact that LPSs operate as real economic actors. Their income depends on commissions and repeat business, which gives them a direct economic incentive to support as many reliable producers as possible. In practice, serving traditionally excluded groups expands their client base, strengthens their reputation, and increases the overall supply they can aggregate for traders and suppliers. This inclusive logic is reinforced by the makeup of the LSPs: Many are former learners, young cooperative members or local artisans who have faced similar barriers and now recognize the business opportunity in helping others succeed.

Strengthening economic prospects

To strengthen women's economic autonomy and cope with market insecurity, women in villages are forming groups to sell their products collectively. These cooperatives — which also include people with disabilities — reduce risks and strengthen market access because women no longer need to travel to unpredictable weekly markets. Instead, traders come directly to the villages to buy in bulk. The volume they can sell collectively makes the trip worthwhile for buyers and allows the group to negotiate better prices. LSPs then reinforce this dynamic by coordinating orders, aggregating products and ensuring quality standards are met.

For people leaving prison, access to credit is provided through the granting of agricultural inputs rather than cash (e.g., poultry feed, veterinary products, seeds or small tools), which is distributed through mixed groups that collectively guarantee repayment. This gradual approach restores their credibility with local economic actors.

Transforming practices and mindsets

Unlike traditional approaches focused on the simple distribution of inputs, the JIGITUGU project has initiated a transformation of market dynamics by changing the behavior of traders, input suppliers and other key actors — such as cooperatives, artisans, local authorities and service providers — who now actively contribute to strengthening market linkages. Thanks to the structuring role of LSPs, these actors now invest in training producers, buy directly from villages and develop local networks. These changes promote the inclusion of traditionally excluded groups, such as rural youth, women, people with disabilities and formerly incarcerated persons.

The JIGITUGU experience shows that even in a context of insecurity it is possible to reconfigure systems to make them more inclusive to vulnerable groups. This evolution is the result of several years of trial and error, local intermediation and negotiations, and patient work to align and join local actors.

It is time to move beyond ad hoc approaches. An essential condition for building more resilient, fairer and truly inclusive rural economies is to consider vulnerable people not as beneficiaries, but as actors in an economic system that can — and must — be redesigned with and for them.

About the Authors

Rosaline Dacko is the Deputy Country Director at Helvetas Mali.

Nicolas Cacciuttolo is the Senior Advisor for Skills, Jobs and Income at Helvetas.