Taking from cotton to grow maize: The shifting practices of small-holder farmers in the cotton belt of Mali

Cotton yields in Mali have fallen during the past 15 years while maize yields have risen. The objective of this study is to examine key changes in the agricultural system to understand how these changes might have influenced the production of these key crops. In particular, this study seeks to understand the causes of the drop in cotton yields in southern Mali and to question the hypotheses that rapid extensification of agriculture or soil fertility loss caused the decline. The study puts forth an alternative hypothesis that fertilizer shifting – whereby farmers apply fertilizers designated for cotton to grain crops – was an important and under-recognized factor in the decline in cotton and simultaneous rise in grain yields.