The purpose of the dataset is to examine how innovations and traditional knowledge affect the gender differentials in farmers’ groundnut trait preferences in Mali. The dataset is about groundnut production data collected at farmer level in Mali in 2020. The dataset comprises groundnut production data, groundnut production agronomic practices, producer preference traits, producer sociodemographic information, data on access to social amenities, land holding and management practices, grown groundnut varieties, groundnut production volume and utilization, desired traits, marketing aspects, household assets, production constraints, socioeconomic constraints in groundnut production and utilization.