When Atto Evaline sets out to her “garden”, she goes to her cotton field. A path leads past sunflowers and numerous other plants until one finally stands in front of the cotton plants. Seemingly disorganized, contrary to European customs, not fields laid out at right angles, where the plants are already showing the first white balls of wool. In contrast to many other parts of the world, cotton in Africa is grown almost exclusively by small farmers. Large-scale farms that grow cotton in monoculture are the exception.
The region is ideally suited for cotton cultivation: around 200 days of sunshine per season and, above all, rain at the right time. The rainy season is extremely important for cotton in sub-Saharan Africa, cotton is grown in what is known as a rain-fed system. This means that fields are not irrigated artificially, but exclusively by rainfall.
Cotton for a living
In Africa, cotton cultivation has a long tradition and is practiced in about 35 of 54 African countries. In East Africa, cotton is grown and cultivated not only in Uganda but also in Kenya and Tanzania.But West Africa, with its numerous cotton-producing countries such as Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo, dominate the continent’s production. Quite a few of these countries can be described as politically unstable.
For the farmers of GADC, cotton is a cash crop, a crop grown for sale. In sub-Saharan Africa, it is an important source of income for many families. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), income from the sale of cotton accounts for half the income of many countries of the region, the income from the sale of cotton represents half of the income of smallholders and their families. From field to ginning, the cotton sector contributes to the livelihoods of more than 40 million people in Africa. In addition to cotton, farmers also grow maize, chilies, sesame, beans, and sunflowers, as well as crops they need to feed themselves. Chilis and sesame are also grown by the farmers of the GADC in organic quality and are exported among others to Germany.
Sustainable cultivation
Atto Evaline, a cotton farmer in Nwoya, Uganda puts out her cotton to dry at home. She has been a member of GADC since 2014.
The demand for sustainably grown cotton is increasing. This is driving the spread of
sustainable cultivation methods and thus not only has a positive impact on the environment, but also has tangible benefits for farmers. In conventional cotton farming, for example, it is common for pesticides to be used, and people die of poisoning from them year after year. In sustainable, organic cultivation, pesticides are not used. This protects lives and naturally preserves soil fertility and the cleanliness of important groundwater.
Sustainable cotton cultivation in Africa is carried out in crop rotation and not only prevents the soil leaching and reduces pest infestation, but also preserves and promotes biodiversity. There is also a learning effect. The farmers gain knowledge about the use of beneficial insects and the sensible cultivation of complementary plants – also through the training of GADC. This knowledge can be passed on from generation to generation for further sustainability.