Interview
Growing Benin’s Organic Cotton Sector
One of the cotton farmers who benefited from the project’s broad array of measures is Emmanuel Dossoumou from the village of Aklampa. He tells us why the project was so beneficial to him and his village.
As part of an international joint project with a combined budget of more than EUR 1 million, the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) spent three years supporting smallholders in making the transition to organic cotton cultivation, specifically under the Cotton made in Africa Organic standard.
This project was implemented by AbTF and OBEPAB (Organisation Béninoise pour la Promotion de l’Agriculture Biologique), with funding from BMZ (the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development) and in collaboration with GIZ, the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) UK, and cotton-trading company Reinhart. As a measure of its success, the number of organic cotton farmers within the project more than doubled by the end of 2024, reaching nearly 9,000.
Mr Dossoumou, Why Did You Decide to Start Growing Cotton According to the CmiA Organic Standard?
Because, unlike other organic standards, Cotton made in Africa Organic does not limit its focus to agriculture. CmiA Organic also wants to improve the conditions facing people in cotton-producing communities, including women and children as well. Another unique aspect of CmiA Organic is its support for constructing new schools and wells and establishing businesses, which strengthens cotton communities and raises our standard of living.
Looking Back on Your Many Years of Experience as a Cotton Farmer, Would You Say That Cotton Farming Today Is Harder or Easier Than in the Past?
It’s harder. Environmental conditions have largely deteriorated considerably; it used to be easier to predict when rain would fall and how much; meanwhile, soil fertility is decreasing and pest infestations are increasing.
I know you participated in the project “Growing Benin’s Organic Cotton Sector”. Did you find it helpful for overcoming these agricultural challenges?
Yes, CmiA Organic and OBEPAB organised a whole series of training sessions, workshops, and events as part of the project. We learnt how to optimise our cotton farms and make them more profitable, meaning that our harvests, and consequently our incomes, are now higher. Apart from that, organic cotton allows for a higher net income than conventional cotton due to its moderate production costs combined with a selling price that is 20 percent higher than that of conventional cotton.
You initially mentioned the broader approach of CmiA Organic, which addresses not only ecological but also social issues. Was that reflected in this project as well, for instance, in relation to women’s empowerment?
Yes. In fact, that was a priority for project activities. They changed a lot of things for the better for women, for example, by improving collaboration between men and women. In addition, as women took part in training activities and meetings, it became progressively easier for them to gain access to land and cultivate it. Another difference is that women no longer have to finish work in their husbands’ fields before tending to their own.
Some 30 percent of decision-making bodies are now made up of women, compared to around one percent a few years ago. Women are creating new sources of income for themselves as well, for instance, by preparing soya or peanuts to sell on.
So, Would You Recommend Growing CmiA Organic Cotton to Your Neighbours Too?
Yes, at the very least because this form of production does not use synthetic sprays or fertilisers that are harmful to people’s health. It also introduces you to environmentally friendly cultivation practices, including the use of organic fertilisers that maintain or restore soil quality.
