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In West Africa predictions of future changes in climate and especially rainfall are highly uncertain, and up to now no long-term analyses are available of the effects of climate on crop production. This study analyses long-term trends in climate variability at N’Tarla and Sikasso in southern Mali using a weather dataset from 1965 to 2005. Climatic variables and crop productivity were analysed using data from an experiment conducted from 1965 to 1993 at N’Tarla and from a crop yield database from ten cotton growing districts of southern Mali. Minimum daily air temperature increased on average by 0.05°C per year during the period from 1965 to 2005 while maximum daily air temperature remained constant. Seasonal rainfall showed large inter-annual variability with no significant change over the 1965–2005 period. However, the total number of dry days within the growing season increased significantly at N’Tarla …