For thousands of years the ancient Dogon people have lived in their harsh, awe-inspiring environment on the Bandiagarà escarpment between Mopti and Timbuktu, in Mali, a chain of red sandstone cliffs running from north to south across the Mali plain where the Dogon have dug their houses out of the rock and built low mud huts.
The fields are located by the barrages, small dams built in the 1980s to provide more water and increase the production of shallots, the only product sold in any quantity (fresh or dried). Dogon shallots are renowned at markets throughout Mali due to their unique sweetness and flavor from the rocky land. They are eaten fresh or dried. Drying can be carried out using a traditional method that involves grinding the shallots in a stone mortar, shaping the resulting paste into pellets and drying them in the sun. More modern methods (introduced by various NGOs, particularly the Piedmontese Re.Te), involve cutting the shallots into thin slices and drying them for one or two weeks on lattices in the sun.
Traditional vegetable gardens have fruit trees (mango, orange, karitè…), one area is used for cereals (rice, corn, millet, fonio) and peanuts, and another for vegetables and legumes. The womenfolk transform the flowers, fruit and leaves of each plant (whether wild like baobab, or cultivated) into a condiment called somè in the Dogon language.
The Dogon Somè Presidium includes several products: kamà (the powder obtained by grinding dried sorrel seeds), pourkamà (the powder obtained by grinding fermented fruits of nerè, a local tree), djabà pounan (the powder obtained by grinding dried shallot pellets slightly roasted in peanut oil), gangadjou pouna (powder of dried okra), oroupounnà (the powder from baobab leaves) and wangue-somè (the powder used as base for a local pepper, garlic and salt).


The Presidium
The Presidium includes several villages and involves the whole chain, from cultivation, harvesting, and processing through to packaging. Dogon shallots are one of the raw materials, together with gombo, baobab and nerè.
The cultivation phases will involve selecting the most suitable land, using native seeds (self-produced), and sustainable methods (manual weed control, organic fertilizers). Processing will be carried out carefully and hygienically. Packaging will be adapted to the different local, regional, or international markets. Work on the supply chain will be accompanied by promotional efforts, communication and education to inform family cooks, chefs and restaurants about the use of traditional condiments.


Production area
Dogon Plateau, Mopti Region