Senegal organic cotton pilot project

The initiation of the organic cotton pilot project in Senegal was reported upon in June last year in Pesticides News 28 prior to the planting season which started in mid-July. Having completed the harvest in January, farmers and the support team from ENDA-PRONAT and the Pesticides Trust [now PAN UK] gathered in Koussenar in early February to review progress and plan for the next season.

Left: Extensionist, Gallo Diallo, and project consultant, Tadeu Caldas, discussing pest problems with one of the farmers in his post-harvest cotton field, Coumbidia village.

Fifty-three farmers participated in the project in the 1995/6 season with a total of just over 14 ha. A total of 4.6 tonnes of seed cotton was produced organically and is now stored at the project centre in Koussenar awaiting ginning which will be carried out at a small gin in the nearby town of Tambacounda. Although total production was less than expected, yields on the good plots averaged 560 kg/ha, on the less good plots 287 kg/ha and on the poorer plots 131 kg/ha. About 1.8 tonnes of cotton fibre will be produced after ginning and 2.5 tonnes of cotton seed, some of which will be given back to the farmers after ‘de-linting’ for planting next season. In this way, the seed supply will be assured.
    The experience of the farmers in this past season was gathered at a participatory workshop held in Koussenar. In a season with exceptionally low rainfall, a range of problems were identified. The main ones were the impact of cattle eating the crop, late sowing, some fields being inadequately weeded, and problems with the use and efficacy of neem pest control treatments. Several technical aspects of production need further attention in the coming season such as use of the new sprayers, the management of manure and spacing of plants. A start was made in addressing these issues in a further session with farmers and will be reinforced by the project staff in advance of the next planting.

Marmadou Camara from Katop village reports on the season's crop

One farmer's experience
Marmadou Camara has been growing cotton conventionally since 1968 and in 1994 approached ENDA-PRONAT for support to grow his crop without inputs. In the 1994/45 season he decided to go ahead and produced 102 kg on his 0.25 ha plot, a yield of 408 kg/ha. Last season he again planted 0.25 ha in a plot which had been fallow and which had had groundnuts in the season before that. He collected manure for his fields and carried out one ploughing.  He thinned the seedlings to 70 cm after planting, a much wider spacing than he used in the conventional system, and weeded three times. The main pest infestation was Dysdercus (cotton stainer). He sprayed with neem seed powder solution four times. He experienced some difficulty with the sprayers which took more time than he expected and found also that other crops competed for available time. He intends to grow cotton in rotation millet- groundnuts-cotton as recommended by the project but he says that the cereal cultivation always has priority. His organic cotton yield was the same as last season—400 kg/ha and he intends to participate in the project again next season.

Harvested organic seed cotton stored at the project centre in Koussenar, Senegal.

The next steps
Detailed planning sessions took place with project staff who will be working on farmer training and preparation for the 1996/97 season. Active collaboration has been built with the Senegalese Agricultural Research Institute (ISRA) and also with a local spinning and weaving company, Nouvelle Societe Textile Senegalaise (NSTS). ISRA will carry out pest control and fertility experiments next season and NSTS will be involved in spinning this year’s cotton.
    In spite of problems encountered, farmers remain enthusiastic about their involvement and many more would like to join the project. They were positive about not being locked into a credit system and being paid on time, with a premium, for what they have produced. The farmer support structure and record-keeping system are well established and provide a sound basis upon which the project can expand. A preliminary organic certification inspection was carried out in December 1995 in preparation for further work next season. (DM)