Mali: Recent developments in agricultural research

Mali’s agricultural sector plays a dominant role in the national economy. It accounts for close to half of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and employs 70 percent of the active population. In its bid to stimulate agricultural production and thereby improve living conditions for the country’s farmers, the national government assigns high priority to research and development (R&D). Following a period of steady growth that lasted from the mid-1980s to the turn of the millennium (Stads and Kouriba 2004), total agricultural R&D spending levels in Mali have since exhibited an erratic trend. In 2008, R&D investments totaled 5.9 billion CFA francs, or 24.6 million PPP dollars, both in 2005 constant prices (Figure 1; Table 1). Unless otherwise stated, all dollar values in this note are based on purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates.1