Togo Farmers Boost Cotton Yields

Cotton farmers in Togo have reported higher yields and reduced pesticide use after adopting regenerative farming practices that improve soil health and protect crops.

The methods are spreading through farmer field schools, where growers learn practical ways to restore degraded land, manage pests and improve production. The approach also supports food crops such as maize, which many farming households depend on.

In Bagbé, southern Togo, farmer Badakizi Yawa has changed how she controls pests on her eight-hectare cotton farm. After attending a farmer field school, she began using pheromone traps and coloured sticky traps to monitor insects that damage cotton flowers and bolls. She says the traps have reduced the number of pesticide treatments needed on her farm.

“Previously, we sometimes carried out seven or eight treatments against pests, including insects. With these new traps, we now carry out three or four treatments,” Yawa said.

She is among the farmers adopting regenerative practices promoted by the Nouvelle Société Cotonnière du Togo (NSCT). The programme combines soil conservation, organic fertilisers and targeted pest control to address poor soil, irregular rainfall and rising production costs.

NSCT introduced the programme in 2023 to restore farmland and improve farmers’ livelihoods. Cotton, often called “white gold”, provides income for tens of thousands of households in Togo. According to Kossi Assogbavi, the company’s head of communication, the sector accounts for about 20 per cent of the country’s export earnings.

Togo had nearly 79,000 cotton growers in the 2024–2025 season. The country earned $50.2 million from raw cotton exports in 2024, according to the World Bank. However, soil degradation remains a major challenge for the sector.

“Progressive soil degradation is one of the main challenges facing cotton production in Togo today. And degraded soil means low agricultural yields,” said Bissang Badating, an agronomist and NSCT’s head of agricultural projects and sustainability.

NSCT’s then-managing director, Martin Drevon, said average cotton yields had risen from 570 kilogrammes per hectare four years earlier to more than one tonne per hectare in the 2025–2026 farming season. He attributed the increase to a mix of traditional farming knowledge, regenerative methods and company support.

Some farmers involved in field schools have recorded yields of between 1.4 and two tonnes per hectare, according to NSCT. However, results vary, and the figures do not show how much of the increase came from regenerative practices alone.

Methods include zero tillage, crop rotation, intercropping, erosion control, and combining crop farming with livestock rearing. Farmers also learn to produce and use biochar and bokashi, materials used to improve soil quality.

“Regenerative agriculture is not simply one option among many. It is a response aimed at restoring the health and fertility of our soils, strengthening the resilience of farms and safeguarding our farmers’ livelihoods,” Drevon said.

Zero tillage reduces the need to turn the soil before planting. This helps preserve soil structure and moisture. Crop rotation involves growing different crops on the same land in successive seasons. It can improve soil fertility and disrupt some pest cycles.

The programme also adapts the methods to local farming conditions. In southern Togo, where farmers often grow cotton and maize together, the practices support that system. In the north, the programme promotes combining crop and livestock farming.

For pest control, farmers use traps to monitor insects and decide when treatment is necessary. With technical and financial support from Olam Agri, NSCT has trained technicians to guide farmers. During the 2025–2026 season, the company deployed 40 farmer field schools where growers could test techniques, compare results and share knowledge.

Douti Damessona, chairman of a cotton farmers’ group in Assoumakope, said his group harvested 188 tonnes of seed cotton from 88 hectares during the 2025–2026 season. That amounted to more than two tonnes per hectare.

“For the new season, we have increased our cultivated area to 100 hectares,” he said.

His group’s results show the approach’s potential, although they do not represent results across all farms. NSCT said more than 37,000 farmers had received zero-tillage training, with over 60 per cent applying the practice. Another 36,650 farmers had been trained in crop rotation, which the company said had a 97 per cent adoption rate. The two groups may overlap.

A further 1,352 farmers received training in producing and using biochar and bokashi, while 714 were trained in erosion control. During the 2025–2026 season, farmers produced more than 27 tonnes of biochar and 24 tonnes of bokashi through these activities.

“The techniques I have learnt have helped me better control water run-off and soil erosion. They also enable me to produce organic fertiliser. This is a real relief for us farmers,” Damessona said.

For farmers, the key question is whether better harvests and lower input use lead to higher incomes. Yawa said fewer pest treatments had reduced her use of crop protection products. She has also seen benefits from biochar and bokashi, which she said help retain soil moisture and support cotton and maize growth.

She hopes to reach a yield of two tonnes per hectare, provided weather conditions are favourable, and she continues to improve her skills. Since many cotton-growing households also produce food crops, better soil fertility could support both farm income and household food supplies. However, the benefits must be weighed against the labour, materials and time needed to adopt the methods.

Research involving NSCT, the University of Lomé and the University of Essex is examining how regenerative farming can expand across Togo’s cotton sector. An initial survey in 2024 found that some farmers were already using methods such as crop rotation and integrated pest management to respond to changing rainfall, improve soil health and protect biodiversity. The research aims to build on these practices through training, technical support and farmer participation.

Still, some barriers remain. Water shortages can make it difficult to produce soil amendments during the dry season. NSCT said farmers had been trained in a method that reduces the water needed to extinguish fires during biochar production. Land ownership and access also affect adoption. Farmers who are unsure how long they can use a plot may be reluctant to invest in soil restoration when the benefits take years to develop.

Despite these challenges, Badating said the field results were encouraging.

“The results we are achieving in the field clearly demonstrate that regenerative agriculture practices are more beneficial to soils and rural communities in general,” he said.

For Yawa, the next step is to see whether healthier soil and fewer pest treatments will help her reach her target and earn more from her farm.

Credit:  Blamé Ekoue by Bird Story Agency.