A boy transplanting rice seedlings of a high-yielding variety in an irrigated field near Mopti, one of the worst hit regions during recent droughts. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is helping Mali develop small irrigated areas for crops as a protection against drought. The water comes from the great Niger River, whose channels and marshy lakes form an "inland delta" suitable for growing rice and cotton. - - General: General.