• The wife of Somda Firmin prepares the dinner at night. The family of Somda‘s father Meda Ko Francois moved to Djinkargo in 1997 to extend their farming operation. While the father lives in the village his two sons moved with their families to their fields.
    The wife of Somda Firmin prepares the dinner at night. The family of Somda‘s father Meda Ko Francois moved to Djinkargo in 1997 to extend their farming operation. While the father lives in the village his two sons moved with their families to their fields.
  • I enjoy the nights at the fires lit in so many yards around the globe. That time for stories and tales, often told by men, with boys standing by listening, learning, soon to tell their own version of what they heard and experienced. Most of the time and nearly everywhere I travelled this has been a male circle. While they sit and talk and smoke and sometimes drink women and girls prepare the dinner or sit together separately inside the houses. A world closed for me, the male visitor.
    I enjoy the nights at the fires lit in so many yards around the globe. That time for stories and tales, often told by men, with boys standing by listening, learning, soon to tell their own version of what they heard and experienced. Most of the time and nearly everywhere I travelled this has been a male circle. While they sit and talk and smoke and sometimes drink women and girls prepare the dinner or sit together separately inside the houses. A world closed for me, the male visitor.
  • The family of Meda Ko Francois moved to Djinkargo in 1997 to extend their farming operation. While Meda Ko Francois lives in the village his two sons build a compound in the middle of their 100 acre cotton fields to stay in during the harvest.
    The family of Meda Ko Francois moved to Djinkargo in 1997 to extend their farming operation. While Meda Ko Francois lives in the village his two sons build a compound in the middle of their 100 acre cotton fields to stay in during the harvest.
  • One of Meda Ko Francois’ sons feeds the dogs on the compound the family build in the middle of their cotton fields in Djinkargo. They decided to live here during the harvest season when long hours of work are required to bring in the crop.
    One of Meda Ko Francois’ sons feeds the dogs on the compound the family build in the middle of their cotton fields in Djinkargo. They decided to live here during the harvest season when long hours of work are required to bring in the crop.
  • When genetically modified Bt-cotton under the brand name Bollgard II was commercially released in Burkina Faso in 2008 its introduction was hailed as a success with farmers enthusiastically adopting the technology. The main reason farmers liked the new technology was its ability to resist the two mayor pests in Burkinabe cotton production: Lepidoptera and the devastating bollworm. Of the six sprays conventional cotton requires the initial four target lepidoptera. So the total number of sprayings per cotton season went down from six to two, resulting in significantly reduced human pesticide exposure. Early studies from 2009 also showed that Bt cotton increased the yield by 18.2 % and boosted farmers profits by roughly the same percentage. While the seed was significantly more expensive ($62.36 per ha vs. $8.88 per ha on conventional cotton) the cost was offset by the savings on insecticide input costs of $52.58 per ha. Follow up studies surveying 160 households three years later confirmed the yield increase and reported that in average farmers got 50% more profit from Bollgard II than from conventional cotton. There was just one problem: The studies had calculated the yield differences by comparing Bt cotton with refugia planted with conventional cotton. Refugial areas are planted around GMO fields as a refuge for bollworms to reduce the development of resistance. Most farmers don’t pay a lot of attention to refugia, expecting a reduced yield there anyway. So what do these scientific and peer reviewed studies – published by the AgBioForum, which is financed by the Illinois-Missouri Biotechnology Alliance whose purpose is to fund biotechnology research... directed at expanding the volume of profitable businesses in the US food and agricultural sector“ – really tell us about the yield advantage of Bt-cotton?
    When genetically modified Bt-cotton under the brand name Bollgard II was commercially released in Burkina Faso in 2008 its introduction was hailed as a success with farmers enthusiastically adopting the technology. The main reason farmers liked the new technology was its ability to resist the two mayor pests in Burkinabe cotton production: Lepidoptera and the devastating bollworm. Of the six sprays conventional cotton requires the initial four target lepidoptera. So the total number of sprayings per cotton season went down from six to two, resulting in significantly reduced human pesticide exposure. Early studies from 2009 also showed that Bt cotton increased the yield by 18.2 % and boosted farmers profits by roughly the same percentage. While the seed was significantly more expensive ($62.36 per ha vs. $8.88 per ha on conventional cotton) the cost was offset by the savings on insecticide input costs of $52.58 per ha. Follow up studies surveying 160 households three years later confirmed the yield increase and reported that in average farmers got 50% more profit from Bollgard II than from conventional cotton. There was just one problem: The studies had calculated the yield differences by comparing Bt cotton with refugia planted with conventional cotton. Refugial areas are planted around GMO fields as a refuge for bollworms to reduce the development of resistance. Most farmers don’t pay a lot of attention to refugia, expecting a reduced yield there anyway. So what do these scientific and peer reviewed studies – published by the AgBioForum, which is financed by the Illinois-Missouri Biotechnology Alliance whose purpose is to fund biotechnology research... directed at expanding the volume of profitable businesses in the US food and agricultural sector“ – really tell us about the yield advantage of Bt-cotton?
  • When genetically modified Bt-cotton was commercially released in Burkina Faso in 2008 it all seemed like a great success story. By 2014, more than 140,000 smallholder farmers were cultivating Bt cotton, representing 70% of the total production in one of Africa’s largest cotton producing nations. Many farmers were enthusiastic about Bt cotton, because of its ability to resist the devastating bollworm pest without the use of expensive and harmful pesticides. After pests and droughts had led to widespread crop failures that ruined the livelihoods of thousands of cotton farmers in the 1990s, Burkinabè's cotton sector signed a deal with Monsanto in 2003 to backcross the Bt-gene onto local varietals. The Bt-gene produces a toxin - Bacillus thuringiensis - that kills one of the most harmful cotton pests, the bollworm. In doing so it reduces the amount of pesticides needed to keep the crop healthy. Subsequently the total number of sprayings per cotton seasoned has gone down from six to two, reducing exposure of damaging chemicals and saving valuable labour time at critical moments in the growing season. Early studies showed that many farmers earned higher profits from reduced costs and higher yields. Overall Burkina Faso’s total cotton production doubled from 2007 and 2014. But then the often repeated success story of Burkina Faso’s Bt-cotton adoption ended with a big bang: In 2016, Burkinabè cotton officials announced a complete phase out of BT cotton, claiming that it produced lint of inferior quality. While neighboring Mali was able to sell its entire production within a few month on the international market, Burkina Faso was stuck on its record crop, resulting in tens of millions of dollars in lost revenues. The country had become the largest cotton producer in the region at the cost of undermining its global reputation of high quality cotton lint.
    When genetically modified Bt-cotton was commercially released in Burkina Faso in 2008 it all seemed like a great success story. By 2014, more than 140,000 smallholder farmers were cultivating Bt cotton, representing 70% of the total production in one of Africa’s largest cotton producing nations. Many farmers were enthusiastic about Bt cotton, because of its ability to resist the devastating bollworm pest without the use of expensive and harmful pesticides. After pests and droughts had led to widespread crop failures that ruined the livelihoods of thousands of cotton farmers in the 1990s, Burkinabè's cotton sector signed a deal with Monsanto in 2003 to backcross the Bt-gene onto local varietals. The Bt-gene produces a toxin - Bacillus thuringiensis - that kills one of the most harmful cotton pests, the bollworm. In doing so it reduces the amount of pesticides needed to keep the crop healthy. Subsequently the total number of sprayings per cotton seasoned has gone down from six to two, reducing exposure of damaging chemicals and saving valuable labour time at critical moments in the growing season. Early studies showed that many farmers earned higher profits from reduced costs and higher yields. Overall Burkina Faso’s total cotton production doubled from 2007 and 2014. But then the often repeated success story of Burkina Faso’s Bt-cotton adoption ended with a big bang: In 2016, Burkinabè cotton officials announced a complete phase out of BT cotton, claiming that it produced lint of inferior quality. While neighboring Mali was able to sell its entire production within a few month on the international market, Burkina Faso was stuck on its record crop, resulting in tens of millions of dollars in lost revenues. The country had become the largest cotton producer in the region at the cost of undermining its global reputation of high quality cotton lint.
  • Meda Ko Francois is one of the most successful farmers in Burkina Faso. In 2008 he was chosen to try the new genetically modified Bt-cotton on his 40 hectare farm. When I interviewed him in 2009 he was very happy with the new crop and extended it on all his fields. Monsanto began to backcross the Bt-gene onto local varietals in collaboration with Burkinabè's cotton sector in 2003. The Bt-gene produces a toxin - Bacillus thuringiensis - that kills one of the most harmful cotton pests, the bollworm. In doing so it reduces the amount of pesticides needed to keep the crop healthy. Subsequently the total number of sprayings per cotton season has gone down from six to two, reducing exposure of damaging chemicals and saving valuable labour time in the growing season. In 2008 Bt-cotton was released to the first farmers in Burkina Faso. After a year of testing by farmers it was rolled out nationwide in 2009.
    Meda Ko Francois is one of the most successful farmers in Burkina Faso. In 2008 he was chosen to try the new genetically modified Bt-cotton on his 40 hectare farm. When I interviewed him in 2009 he was very happy with the new crop and extended it on all his fields. Monsanto began to backcross the Bt-gene onto local varietals in collaboration with Burkinabè's cotton sector in 2003. The Bt-gene produces a toxin - Bacillus thuringiensis - that kills one of the most harmful cotton pests, the bollworm. In doing so it reduces the amount of pesticides needed to keep the crop healthy. Subsequently the total number of sprayings per cotton season has gone down from six to two, reducing exposure of damaging chemicals and saving valuable labour time in the growing season. In 2008 Bt-cotton was released to the first farmers in Burkina Faso. After a year of testing by farmers it was rolled out nationwide in 2009.
  • Red cotton stainer bugs infest a field of Bt-cotton. The feeding activities of cotton stainers on cotton produce a stain on the lint which reduces its value. Strangely I found these bugs more prevalent on conventional and GMO cotton than on organic farms which use a natural pesticide from the Neem tree rather than synthetic chemicals. This is obviously only a personal observation and no scientific study.
    Red cotton stainer bugs infest a field of Bt-cotton. The feeding activities of cotton stainers on cotton produce a stain on the lint which reduces its value. Strangely I found these bugs more prevalent on conventional and GMO cotton than on organic farms which use a natural pesticide from the Neem tree rather than synthetic chemicals. This is obviously only a personal observation and no scientific study.
  • A young farmer in Naniagara reads at night in the shine of a torch light. Like most villages in Burkina Faso Naniagara has neither electricity nor running water supply.
    A young farmer in Naniagara reads at night in the shine of a torch light. Like most villages in Burkina Faso Naniagara has neither electricity nor running water supply.
  • A young girl carries a sack of harvested organic cotton home through a corn field. The organic cotton program in Burkina Faso is supported by the Swiss organization Helvetas and the Union Nationale des Producteurs de Coton du Burkina UNPCB. The UNPCB runs the project on the ground through a net of field agents that support and advice the farmers on best farming practices and on creating manure.
    A young girl carries a sack of harvested organic cotton home through a corn field. The organic cotton program in Burkina Faso is supported by the Swiss organization Helvetas and the Union Nationale des Producteurs de Coton du Burkina UNPCB. The UNPCB runs the project on the ground through a net of field agents that support and advice the farmers on best farming practices and on creating manure.
  • The family of Sory Sele Namoutche harvests organic cotton near Naniagara, a village near Banfora in western Burkina Faso where many farmers switched to organic agriculture. Organic cotton is often called a women’s crop in Burkina Faso were cotton is traditionally only grown by men. But because no synthetic and poisonous chemicals are used even pregnant women can grow organic cotton without endangering their children. So it is no wonder that of the roughly 7,000 organic producers in 2008 nearly one third were women. Many of their husbands though continued with conventional cotton, as it is the mens’ responsible to grow the cereals needed for the entire family and so they felt they had to ensure access to fertilizer. Because the distribution of fertilizer is a monopoly of the cotton companies such as SOFITEX only farmers growing cotton have access to fertilizer. When genetically modified Bt-cotton was commercialized in 2008/09 many female organic producers got in trouble and finally were kicked out of the organic cotton program. While it was possible to guarantee the separation of harvested conventional and organic cotton, ensuring no genetically modified seeds contaminated the organic producers supply within the same household became virtually impossible.
    The family of Sory Sele Namoutche harvests organic cotton near Naniagara, a village near Banfora in western Burkina Faso where many farmers switched to organic agriculture. Organic cotton is often called a women’s crop in Burkina Faso were cotton is traditionally only grown by men. But because no synthetic and poisonous chemicals are used even pregnant women can grow organic cotton without endangering their children. So it is no wonder that of the roughly 7,000 organic producers in 2008 nearly one third were women. Many of their husbands though continued with conventional cotton, as it is the mens’ responsible to grow the cereals needed for the entire family and so they felt they had to ensure access to fertilizer. Because the distribution of fertilizer is a monopoly of the cotton companies such as SOFITEX only farmers growing cotton have access to fertilizer. When genetically modified Bt-cotton was commercialized in 2008/09 many female organic producers got in trouble and finally were kicked out of the organic cotton program. While it was possible to guarantee the separation of harvested conventional and organic cotton, ensuring no genetically modified seeds contaminated the organic producers supply within the same household became virtually impossible.
  • I was very found of Mama Yao, a strong and proud woman and one of Sory Sele Namoutche’s wives. She had a silent competition for best chef in town going on with Sory Pande Karidja, the president of the women’s association who hosted me. Every night Sory Pande brought Tô – the traditional polenta-style food made mainly from corn – to the hut I was staying in. The Tô was always served with a delicious sauce and after a long day out in the field I ate a lot of it. Once I finished and often while I was still eating Mama Yao came over from her families compound with yet another pot of Tô. Of course there was no way to turn down her generous offer. Both excellent cooks Sory Pande and Mama Yao made me gain back my normal weight within weeks after I suffered a severe Malaria infection.
    I was very found of Mama Yao, a strong and proud woman and one of Sory Sele Namoutche’s wives. She had a silent competition for best chef in town going on with Sory Pande Karidja, the president of the women’s association who hosted me. Every night Sory Pande brought Tô – the traditional polenta-style food made mainly from corn – to the hut I was staying in. The Tô was always served with a delicious sauce and after a long day out in the field I ate a lot of it. Once I finished and often while I was still eating Mama Yao came over from her families compound with yet another pot of Tô. Of course there was no way to turn down her generous offer. Both excellent cooks Sory Pande and Mama Yao made me gain back my normal weight within weeks after I suffered a severe Malaria infection.
  • Sory Sele Namoutche is the wealthiest farmer in Naniagara and the vice president of the local organic cotton growers. He explains why he switched from conventional to organic cotton.
    Sory Sele Namoutche is the wealthiest farmer in Naniagara and the vice president of the local organic cotton growers. He explains why he switched from conventional to organic cotton.
  • The cows of Sory Sele Namoutche make him the wealthiest farmer in Naniagara. He invests all the profit from his organic farm into buying more cattle. Their dung produces high quality manure for organic farming and restores the fertility of the soil. As no chemical fertilizers are allowed in organic production building manure and compost are fundamental for a profitable organic farm. Poorer farmers that can’t afford cattle have to build compost instead, which is less effective and more labor intensive. Despite the extra effort of producing manure, growing organic is much more profitable than conventional cotton, even though the organic yield is lower on average. While conventional farmers harvest 1,100kg/ha cotton on average, organic farmers only get about 675kg/ha on average. But as organic cotton realizes a higher price on the market, 272 CFA/kg instead of 165 CFA/kg, the gross profit per hectare is nearly identical in organic and conventional farms. Because organic farmers spend about 90% less on inputs, as they don’t have to buy commercial fertilizer and pesticides, their gross margin is about 30% better than for conventional farmers. Organic farmers with lots of cows like Sory Sele Namoutche and the best farming practices often reach about 1000kg/ha, making them some of the most profitable operators in the country.
    The cows of Sory Sele Namoutche make him the wealthiest farmer in Naniagara. He invests all the profit from his organic farm into buying more cattle. Their dung produces high quality manure for organic farming and restores the fertility of the soil. As no chemical fertilizers are allowed in organic production building manure and compost are fundamental for a profitable organic farm. Poorer farmers that can’t afford cattle have to build compost instead, which is less effective and more labor intensive. Despite the extra effort of producing manure, growing organic is much more profitable than conventional cotton, even though the organic yield is lower on average. While conventional farmers harvest 1,100kg/ha cotton on average, organic farmers only get about 675kg/ha on average. But as organic cotton realizes a higher price on the market, 272 CFA/kg instead of 165 CFA/kg, the gross profit per hectare is nearly identical in organic and conventional farms. Because organic farmers spend about 90% less on inputs, as they don’t have to buy commercial fertilizer and pesticides, their gross margin is about 30% better than for conventional farmers. Organic farmers with lots of cows like Sory Sele Namoutche and the best farming practices often reach about 1000kg/ha, making them some of the most profitable operators in the country.
  • The sons of Sory Sele Namoutche tend for the cows of their father. The cows of Sory Sele Namoutche make him the wealthiest farmer in Naniagara. Their dung produces high quality manure for organic farming and restores the fertility of the soil. As no chemical fertilizers are allowed in organic production the bullocks are a fundamental part to produce manure.
    The sons of Sory Sele Namoutche tend for the cows of their father. The cows of Sory Sele Namoutche make him the wealthiest farmer in Naniagara. Their dung produces high quality manure for organic farming and restores the fertility of the soil. As no chemical fertilizers are allowed in organic production the bullocks are a fundamental part to produce manure.
  • One of Sory Sele Namoutche’s sons carries corn husks to the families corral. Sory Sele Namoutche is the wealthiest farmer in Naniagara, a village near Banfora in western Burkina Faso and the vice president of the local organic cotton growers. He invests all the profit from his farm into buying more cattle. Their dung produces high quality manure for organic farming and restores the fertility of the soil. As no chemical fertilizers are allowed in organic production building manure and compost are fundamental for a profitable organic farm. Poorer farmers that can’t afford cattle have to build compost instead, which is less effective and more labor intensive. Despite the extra effort of producing manure, growing organic is much more profitable than conventional cotton, even though the organic yield is lower on average. While conventional farmers harvest 1,100kg/ha cotton on average, organic farmers only get about 675kg/ha on average. But as organic cotton realizes a higher price on the market, 272 CFA/kg instead of 165 CFA/kg, the gross profit per hectare is nearly identical in organic and conventional farms. Because organic farmers spend about 90% less on inputs, as they don’t have to buy commercial fertilizer and pesticides, their gross margin is about 30% better than for conventional farmers. Organic farmers with lots of cows like Sory Sele Namoutche and the best farming practices often reach about 1000kg/ha, making them some of the most profitable operators in the country.
    One of Sory Sele Namoutche’s sons carries corn husks to the families corral. Sory Sele Namoutche is the wealthiest farmer in Naniagara, a village near Banfora in western Burkina Faso and the vice president of the local organic cotton growers. He invests all the profit from his farm into buying more cattle. Their dung produces high quality manure for organic farming and restores the fertility of the soil. As no chemical fertilizers are allowed in organic production building manure and compost are fundamental for a profitable organic farm. Poorer farmers that can’t afford cattle have to build compost instead, which is less effective and more labor intensive. Despite the extra effort of producing manure, growing organic is much more profitable than conventional cotton, even though the organic yield is lower on average. While conventional farmers harvest 1,100kg/ha cotton on average, organic farmers only get about 675kg/ha on average. But as organic cotton realizes a higher price on the market, 272 CFA/kg instead of 165 CFA/kg, the gross profit per hectare is nearly identical in organic and conventional farms. Because organic farmers spend about 90% less on inputs, as they don’t have to buy commercial fertilizer and pesticides, their gross margin is about 30% better than for conventional farmers. Organic farmers with lots of cows like Sory Sele Namoutche and the best farming practices often reach about 1000kg/ha, making them some of the most profitable operators in the country.