eprintid: 10334
rev_number: 14
eprint_status: archive
userid: 1305
dir: disk0/00/01/03/34
datestamp: 2017-11-29 10:53:12
lastmod: 2017-11-29 10:53:12
status_changed: 2017-11-29 10:53:12
type: article
metadata_visibility: show
contact_email: Library-ICRISAT@CGIAR.ORG
creators_name: Roge, P
creators_name: Diarisso, T
creators_name: Diallo, F
creators_name: Boire, Y
creators_name: Goita, D
creators_name: Peter, B
creators_name: Macalou, M
creators_name: Weltzien, E
creators_name: Snapp, S
icrisatcreators_name: Boire, Y
icrisatcreators_name: Goita, D
icrisatcreators_name: Weltzien, E
affiliation: Department of Environmental Science, Policy, & Management, UC Berkeley (Berkeley)
affiliation: Institut d’Economie Rurale (IER) – ECOFIL (Bamako)
affiliation: ICRISAT (Bamako)
affiliation: Center for Global Change & Earth Observations, Michigan State University (East Lansing)
affiliation: Department of Plant, Soil & Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University (East Lansing)
country: USA
country: Mali
title: Perennial grain crops in the West Soudanian Savanna of Mali: perspectives from agroecology and gendered spaces
ispublished: pub
subjects: s1.4
subjects: s28
subjects: s333
subjects: s4009
subjects: s61
divisions: CRPS1
full_text_status: restricted
keywords: Africa, agroecology, gender, Mali, perennial grains, Perennial grain crops, food security,  West African farming systems, women farmers, pastoralists
note: We express our gratitude to the Malian farmers who graciously
welcomed us, as well as to various individuals at ICRISAT – Mali
and IER – ECOFIL who offered us logistical assistance in the field.
This work was supported by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
[grant number OPP1076311].
abstract: Perennial grain crops may play an important role in environmentally sound and socially just food systems for Africa. We study the future possibility of integrating perennial grains into Malian farming systems from the perspective of agroecology, and more specifically using a gendered space approach. We interviewed 72 farmers across the sorghum-growing region of Mali. We found that perennial grains offer a vision for transforming human relations with nature that mirrors the resource sharing of customary land tenure, including patterns of extensive and intensive land use in time and space. Women interviewees identified a broad set of potential advantages and challenges to perennial grain production. Advantages include reduced labour, saving seed, and improving food security. Women farmers were concerned about livestock, water access, and resource limitations. We argue that perennial grains may increase access to land and natural resources for women farmers. Perennial grains may improve soil quality, reduce labour early in the rainy season, and provision more resources from fallow lands. Pastoralists stand to benefit from improved pastures in the dry season. We conclude that investments are needed to develop viable crop types in consideration of the complexity of West African farming systems and the local needs of women farmers and pastoralists.
date: 2017-09
date_type: published
publication: International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability
volume: 15
number: 5
publisher: Taylor & Francis
pagerange: 555-574
id_number: 10.1080/14735903.2017.1372850
refereed: TRUE
issn: 1473-5903
official_url: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2017.1372850
related_url_url: https://scholar.google.co.in/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Perennial+grain+crops+in+the+West+Soudanian+Savanna+of+Mali%3A+perspectives+from+agroecology+and+gendered+spaces&btnG=
related_url_url: https://cooperativenewschool.com/sites/default/files/roge-2017-perennial.pdf
related_url_type: pub
related_url_type: org
funders: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
citation:   Roge, P and Diarisso, T and Diallo, F and Boire, Y and Goita, D and Peter, B and Macalou, M and Weltzien, E and Snapp, S  (2017) Perennial grain crops in the West Soudanian Savanna of Mali: perspectives from agroecology and gendered spaces.  International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 15 (5).  pp. 555-574.  ISSN 1473-5903     
document_url: http://oar.icrisat.org/10334/1/Perennial%20grain%20crops%20in%20the%20West%20Soudanian%20Savanna.pdf