Determinants of access to credit in the Office du Niger zone in Mali

Abstract

Irrigated rice growing in the Office du Niger zone requires high input consumption and very high production costs. With the low level of rural savings, the regulated use of these factors of production according to the cropping calendar raises the issue of agricultural financing. This research focuses on the issue of financing family farms in the Office du Niger area in Mali. For this, a survey of 413 family farms was carried out in 2021. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and a logit model. The results of the binomial logit model showed that the level of education, having land, household size, income, experience in rice cultivation, the distance between farmers and the headquarters of financial institutions are significant and determinants in the access to credit in the Office du Niger zone in Mali. The credits granted concern small amounts. Productive investments that include medium and long-term investments capable of significantly improving agricultural production are almost unsatisfactory.