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Mali agriculture is the main source of employment in Mali. Seventy percent of the population is engaged in agriculture in Mali. Agriculture in Mali is mostly carried out on small farms. Mechanized farming is not much practiced in Mali. The farmers depend on manual labor for tilling of land, sowing of seeds, ploughing and harvesting.
The main crops grown in Mali are sorghum, corn, rice, millets, cotton, sugarcane and peanuts. The banks of the Niger River between Bamako and Mopti are the most fertile lands in Mali. The border areas of Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Guinea are also very productive. The rainfall in this region varies between 50 mm to 140 mm every year. Rice, cotton, millet, vegetables, corn, tobacco and tree crops are grown extensively in this region.
The drier parts of Mali are ideal for sorghum plantation. In the dry season the farmers grow wheat in Dire. Though peanuts are grown throughout Mali, most of the production is done in Kita. Mali earns the maximum revenue from agriculture.
Excellent agricultural reforms, adequate rainfall and better management of agricultural land in Mali have accelerated the growth of agriculture. The government has taken steps to reduce the conversion of arable land for development of towns and cities. Steps to overcome the drought conditions in Mali have been taken by improving the irrigation network in the country. The overall effect of all these steps have resulted in higher agricultural production in Mali.
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