Sustainable land use in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of Mali: Exploring economically viable options using multiple goal linear programming

Technical options in crop and animal husbandry to reduce soil nutrient mining and other forms of natural resource degradation in the Sudano-Sahelian zone should be economically attractive, if they are to be adopted. A model is presented in which agronomic and economic information and goals are combined to explore possibilities for agro-ecologically sustainable and economically viable land use in three different climatic regions in Mali and for a situation of non-degraded soils. The time horizon of the study is the year 2010. For each region, an agro-ecologically sustainable land use system (a combination of crop, livestock and pasture production systems) that maximises income of the agricultural sector and satisfies self sufficiency targets is identified. Special attention is given to the use of chemical fertiliser in crop activities. It is shown that use of chemical fertiliser is an important element of sustainable and economically viable land use, especially in higher rainfall regions. It is also concluded that population size has a marked effect on optimal land use systems in the regions, but that self sufficiency is not endangered even if population is 50% higher than estimated for 2010. It is argued that results should not be used to simulate the actual situation or future developments, but to define priorities for agricultural development in the Sudano-Sahelian region.