Minisymposium
Progress of Mali Agriculture Sector: Research & Development and Future Forecasts
Organizers :
Harouna Maiga,
University of Minnesota, USA,
hmaiga@umn.edu
Abdoulaye Sidibé,
IPR, Katibougou, Mali
Abstract
Agriculture is the backbone of the economy of Mali. Crop and livestock productions contribute to more than 75% of the Added Value of the primary sector of the economy and between 25% and 30% of the gross domestic product (FAO, 2004). More than 80% of rural populations make living from agricultural production. Cereal crops ( millet, sorghum, corn, rice, wheat, etc.), cotton, groundnuts (peanuts) and livestock dominate agricultural production. According to FAO, livestock production contributes, on average, more than10% of gross domestic product of Mali and represents the third (after gold and cotton) source of net revenues from export products of the country.
Moreover, Mali agriculture sector has an important resource potential in terms of land. Mali has about 47 millions hectares of arable land of which 26% are in crop production, 64% in pastures, and 10% in forest (FAO, 2004). Mali has an enormous and diverse animal production potential with cattle, sheep, goats, and horses being the main livestock species. Animal production is dominated by a strong mixed pastoral system of transhumant and sedentary producers.
With all its enormous resource potentials, Mali agriculture sector has been faced with low crop production caused by several factors. These factors include climatic and environmental (drought, flooding, grasshoppers, etc), poor soils, less productive cultural practices, and lack of appropriate technologies. Livestock production and productivity are also low. Animal production system is a traditional one characterized by a small percentage of animals off take and low agricultural inputs and equipments. However, in the southern regions of cotton and rice production, agriculture is becoming more and more intensive and market oriented.
Agriculture production in Mali is as old as the country itself.
Mali government has invested enormous resources in an effort to
develop and improve agricultural production. Several Planning and
Evaluation institutions (IER, OMBEVI, etc), Research institutions (IER,
Experimental stations, LCV, etc.), Research & Development offices (CMDT,
etc.), and Agricultural Extension Services (DNE, DNA, etc) have been put
in place to develop and modernize agriculture sector. Additionally,
international organizations (US-AID, ICRISAT, IRAT, ILRI, etc) and NGO's
have invested important resources in the agriculture sector.
Results of these interventions and investments are sizeable, but the
overall impact is limited to a less modernized agriculture production
system which can not meet food needs and/or eliminate nutritional
deficiencies of Malian populations.
The first objective of this mini-symposium is to bring together Malian scientists and experts to diagnose constraints to agriculture development and modernization, discuss efforts invested in research & development and results achieved, and to project future forecasts of agriculture production in Mali.
The second objective is to encourage, in the long term, collaborative research and development activities between Malian institutions and international organizations (universities and Research & Development institutions).