Cotton, fragile economic lifeline for West African smallholders

Cotton production in francophone W. Africa is in danger of collapse in coming years, due to stagnating yields, increasing costs, and depressed prices, with dramatic effects for smallholder producers and their countries. The question is, does cotton have a future in W. Africa, and what is needed to safeguard that future? This paper reviews the current status of the cotton sector in Burkina Faso, as an example of a West African francophone cotton growing country, ways to remedy the existing weaknesses and steps to be taken towards a healthy, productive, and durable product chain. Current yields are low, and profitability is weak, due to several causes, ranging from agronomic to organisational and trade-related factors, the latter both at local and international level. There are several opportunities to narrow the ‘yield gap’ between actual and potential yield thereby at farm and community level enhancing profitability, by technical and organisational measures. The interventions should be tested at farm and community level using participatory research methods and, if performant, promoted by participatory extension methods. In the medium and long term, Integration of cotton within the overall cropping system should be undertaken, rather than running it as a stand-alone activity as is currently the case. This will strengthen the crop's resilience to pests, compensate for the losses in one crop by the yield of another, and improve the sustainability of crop production as a whole. In respect of sector organisation, there is a need for reform of both farmers’ organisations and service providers to effectively implement these interventions. The GPC should transform themselves into genuine primary societies, whose primary task will be to look after their members’ interests. In the longer term, the development of a local textile industry presents a beckoning perspective on the road to a complete and remunerative cotton sector.