Sustainable land management in Mali

Abstract

This study uses logistic and Poisson regression models to examine the factors influencing the adoption of sustainable land management (SLM) practices in Mali using two rounds of the nationally representative survey Enquête Agricole de Conjoncture Intégrée aux Conditions de Vie des Ménages. The SLMs considered include the application of organic fertilizers, the application of inorganic fertilizers, the use of improved seeds, and the practice of intercropping. On average the application of organic fertilizers (39.2%), and inorganic fertilizers (28.7%) are the most frequent SLM practices among Malian farmers, and between 2014 and 2017, we observe a decline in the practice of intercropping. The regression results show that farmers’ adoption of different SLMs is significantly associated with biophysical factors (average temperature, climate type, plot size, plot shape, and location), demographic factors (age, gender, education, household size), and socioeconomic factors (number of cultivated plots, livelihood diversification, type of crop grown, market access, credit access, economic shocks, and social capital). Our findings suggest that policymakers and agricultural development agencies in Mali need to adopt a multidimensional policy framework to unlock the untapped potential of SLM practices in promoting sustainable agriculture and food security.