Le paradoxe de Sikasso : coton et pauvreté au Mali

In Mali, the situation of cotton growing households has traditionally been considered as more favorable than that of food crop producers. However, official statistics on poverty suggest that the cotton growing region of Sikasso is among the poorest regions of the country and that cotton producers are on average poorer than all other farmers. This article offers a detailed analysis of this paradox, the so-called Sikasso paradox. The official statistics on poverty are set out and data and methodological issues are exposed.The reworking of the data led to the conclusion that cotton producers have an “advantage” over other farmers. This analysis underlines the need for open debate concerning data – an oft neglected step in the analysis of development policy.