1. Pricing Farmers out of Cotton: The costs of World Bank reforms in Mali
- Publication Date:
- 03-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Mali is one of the world's poorest countries, with over two-thirds of the population – mostly in rural areas – living on less than a dollar a day. Mali is also the second largest cotton producer in sub-Saharan Africa after Burkina Faso. Cotton production is generally heralded as a success story in much of West and Central Africa, providing a critical development strategy for poor African countries such as Mali and enabling both governments and farm households to access income. The World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the wider donor community have also recognised the importance of cotton in reducing poverty and supporting the country's economy. However, in recent years, much of this success has been undermined by depressed and volatile cotton prices, partly as the result of unchecked US subsidies, and the downward trend of commodity prices.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, International Organization, International Trade and Finance, Treaties and Agreements, and World Trade Organization
- Political Geography:
- Africa, United States, and Mali