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This study examines the investment strategies of Bambara families in Mali, describing how these strategies have changed over recent decades and analyzing the variation in investment returns between farmers. The author analyzes crop production data over two years as a basis for a comparison of returns to the three key assets used in farm production: wells, oxen plough teams and breeding cattle. She investigates the variation in returns to investments between farmers and crop seasons. A wide range in returns results from the differing assumptions made about the farmer's access to other productive assets and the crop's response to a particular level and mix of inputs. The text concludes that, since the large Bambara household is at an advantage, there is a tendancy for producing units to polarize into large successful households on the one hand, and small households with relatively few assets on the other. The latter are not assured of long-term survival in the farming community.