Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK) - 'Cotton Trade - building an environmentally friendly route to poverty reduction'
In Benin, West Africa, cotton farmers struggle to earn a living to support themselves and their families. Poor health compounds poverty amongst farmers due to the use of highly toxic pesticides, often with inadequate or no safety equipment. Typically, farmers are smallholders, growing cotton crops on around four acres of land.
TRAID is supporting PAN UK's work by providing funds of £180,000 over nearly four years to improve the livelihoods of cotton farmers in Benin. The project will help over 2,100 farmers in Benin to move to agro ecological farming based on producing cotton organically. At least 12,000 women, men and children will be experience improvements in their livelihoods, education and environment.
This ambitious and exciting project will establish a sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural model that does not use pesticides, maintains and improves cotton yields, and establishes buyers for the organic cotton Benin's farmers will grow.
A new and sustainable model of farming cotton is vital in Benin which, since the early 1990's, has seen cotton no longer contributing to community development due to falling prices and increased production costs. Environmentally, the use of chemicals in conventional cotton farming has had a devastating impact on biodiversity, wildlife and water resources, as well as soil fertility.
Farmers will be trained through participatory processes to best farming practices, and will organise themselves into farming associations from village level, through to the national level.
The project will work with all actors involved in the organic cotton supply chain, from farmers to buyers, and a landmark report will be published at the end of the project providing a tried, tested and systematically measured working model of sustainable cotton production.
To find out about PAN UK visit www.pan-uk.org
