The surge in basic food commodity prices in 2007/08 and again in 2011, have led to a renewed focus among governments and donors on agricultural growth, especially in staple food production in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is widely agreed that smallholder-led agricultural growth would contribute most...

It is widely agreed that smallholder-led agricultural growth would contribute most to improved food security and reduced poverty. Yet, how to achieve broader and more sustainable access by smallholder farmers to productivity-enhancing inputs for food crop production remains a largely unsolved...

Applying John R. Commons's institutional economic framework, this paper analyzes the evolution of key institutions in the Malian cotton sector, starting with Mali's independence in 1960 to the ongoing market-oriented reforms in the 2000s. In accordance with Commons's economic theory,...