In pictures: Mali's mangos

Knee-deep in April’s mangos which have been nourished by the rains, the women are drying mangos and making mango nut butter, which is reputed to work wonders against wrinkles.

The co-operative also owns a small patch of land under the mango trees which cling to the steep sandstone cliffs surrounding Bamako. The money they make from selling mango products means they can grow papaya, sweet potatoes, beans and karite (shea butter) here, and that sustains them for the rest of the year.