Financial inclusion, gender gaps and agricultural productivity in Mali

Abstract

Mali is a prominent fragile and post-conflict country, and armed rebellions have cumulatively resulted in over 20 years of conflict since independence. Agriculture is the mainstay of the Malian economy and accounts for about 40% of GDP and employs 80% of the active population. However, the agricultural sector has performed sub-optimally and food security has not been attained. Financial exclusion and gender inequality have been identified as critical impediments to agricultural productivity. This study conducted an empirical investigation of the effects of financial inclusion and gender gaps on agricultural productivity in Mali. The study made use of data from the Living Standards Measurement Study—Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS–ISA) for the year 2017 in Mali. The empirical results show that financial inclusion has had a positive and significant effect on agricultural productivity in Mali. In addition, the results demonstrate that gender gaps exist in agricultural productivity, and agricultural productivity of women is lower than that of men. The gender gap in the full specifications was between 44.5% and 49.8%. The study concludes by providing some policy options for improving financial inclusion and thus reducing gender gaps, so as to boost agricultural productivity.