ABSTRACT
Mali is essentially an agricultural country in which subsistence agriculture has dominated life for countless centuries. Millet, sorghum, and other grains have long been the mainstays of agricultural life; rice, cotton, and peanuts were added later on. During the centuries before the colonial era, a brisk trade flourished in Mali, linking it to the markets of North Africa and later to the European trading posts along the West African coast. Mali's economy is largely based on traditional agriculture, livestock raising, and fishing. These activities produce the country's chief exports, mostly destined for markets on the West African coast. At independence, Mali established an economy that eventually had parastatals responsible for virtually every aspect of the country's economic life. Mali's staple food crops are millet, sorghum, maize, and rice. Fish and livestock products prominently figure in the national economy, as do the production of cash crops such as cotton, peanuts, tobacco, and sugar.
