Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa 2016-2017

Mali Baseline Survey

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) aims to effect market-led agricultural transformation in Africa. In Ghana, its objectives are to increase farmer productivity through access to quality inputs, reduce post-harvest losses through access to post-harvest storage technologies and support farmers through an enabling policy environment. Though agriculture remains the mainstay of most economies in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the sector is faced with structural challenges which undermine the attainment of its optimal potential. The Alliance of Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has advanced its operations in recent years, and aims to promote market-led agricultural transformation in the sub-region. In Mali, AGRA's objectives are to close yield gaps with the aim of doubling current yields; and also to increase the volume of crop aggregation and processing in order to boost activities in the agri-food industry and support farmers through an enabling policy environment. In line with these objectives, the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER) was contracted to conduct a baseline survey of farmer households in three regions in Mali principally noted for crop production to generate baseline data for key indicators broadly relating to households' welfare, farming practices, crop yields, crop losses and other features of the value chain in the cultivation of four major crops, namely maize, sorghum, millet and cowpea.