Make Cotton Sustainable

PROFILE / LYDIE N'TCHA, ORGANIC FARMER

Lydie N'TCHA: Motivation for Organic Cotton Farmers in Benin

Lydie N’TCHA is an organic cotton farmer in the village of Bouanrou in Benin. She started growing organic cotton after Mrs. Placide Suzanne TAMA, coordinator of the local NGO AFVA introduced her to it in 2007. In February 2008, she along with some other farmers went on an exchange visit to the village of Fada N’gourma, in the East Region of Burkina Faso.

According to Lydie, after the exchange with peers from Burkina Faso, some of her fellow farmers got motivated enough to be involved while others were worried. Lydie was one of the forty women farmers who decided to start organic cotton farming.

The timing was good, considering the fact that Fada N’gouma, situated at the border with the North region of Benin was in a good location for growing cotton, especially organic cotton. Happy with her production of 0.25 hectare in 2009, Lydie has decided to increase her production area to 0.5 hectare.

Good production by farmers like Lydie inspired three other neighbouring communities, Pehunco, Kouande and Kerou, to join the program. Lydie is the president of Inter-communal Union and aims to expand the project Faaban Winsu (UI-CPCB) to be able to create a belt with the project Alafia, organic cotton, which is developed around the Pendjari reserve.

Lydie is happy with organic cotton as she does not need to invest much. There is no need of mineral fertilisers or chemical pesticides. She noticed that on the soils where organic cotton has been produced, because of the organic fertilisers, the cereals (maize, sorghum etc.) grow very well. She further says, “Before we got involved in organic production, I occasionally witnessed some of my younger goats die because of intoxications, but since then it has never happened again. In addition, at home it is safe to eat our products.”

A few challenges that she faces include purchasing of seeds and climate variablity, though that cannot be controlled. But she still would like other farmers to consider organic production, more so if they have a guaranteed supply of seeds.

To read the full story: Organic Exchange Monthly Farm Bulletin