Akoura Sarki, a cotton farmer, in a cotton farm in Garoua, Cameroon on August 20, 2026. Photo: Leocadia Bongben, bird story agency
In Cameroon’s northern cotton belt, growers are combining carefully controlled seed multiplication with trees, crop residue and water-conserving field design to improve yields and withstand dry spells.
By Leocadia Bongben, bird story agency
A day-old lamb leaps and bleats beneath a shed while, behind a cluster of mud-brick, thatched-roof homes, Akoura Sarki inspects the leaves of his cotton plants for signs of insect damage.
The farmer, now in his late sixties, knows this stage of the season well. About 45 days after planting, growers monitor their fields closely and apply pest controls when needed. For Sarki, however, the quality of the harvest begins much earlier — with the seed.
Sarki is a seed multiplier in Pitoa, about 17 kilometres from Garoua, the capital of Cameroon’s North Region. He is part of a small group of selected farmers who produce first-generation certified seed for wider distribution to commercial cotton growers.
Cotton farming is a family tradition here, with skills and land often passed from parents to children. Sarki began growing cotton at 15, when he left the family plot to establish a farm of his own. He has now cultivated the crop for more than four decades and is among the about 160 000 farmers contributing to the about 250,721 tonnes of seed cotton and 103,156 tonnes of cotton fibre produced yearly under the authority of the Cameroon Cotton Development Authority (SODECOTON).
Cameroon is ranked the fifth-largest cotton producer in Africa after West African countries like Benin, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ivory Coast.
Cotton farmers are grouped by sector and zone, with a zonal lead, and belong to the cotton producers’ union (Confédération Nationale des Producteurs de Coton du Cameroun), CNPC-C. The farmers’ confederation organises farming campaigns, negotiates producer prices, and procures major agricultural inputs (such as fertilisers and seeds) for its members.
For the past six years, Sarki has grown the new generation R1 seed on an eight-hectare plot, harvesting about 17 tonnes in a good season. This year, he has expanded the area under cotton to 10 hectares.
Elizabeth Souaibou, another Pitoa farmer, grows cotton on just over a hectare. She has farmed cotton for 10 years and has used R1 seed for six of them.
“Because the bolls contain many seeds and weigh more, we prefer R1,” Souaibou said. “Increased output translates into increased revenue.”
R1 is not a cotton variety but a seed generation, according to Djallo Mana, the zonal chief responsible for the Pomla seed bank in the Gashiga sector. The designation is applied to the first generation of certified seed produced from varieties developed or selected through Cameroon’s agricultural research system.
The seed is multiplied under controlled conditions before being distributed to other farmers. Later generations gradually lose their genetic purity and performance, Mana said, and growers are advised not to continue planting the seed beyond the recommended cycle.
Seed multipliers must follow strict protocols. Their plots must be isolated to prevent varieties from mixing, while harvested seed cotton must remain separated during transport, storage and ginning. Facilities are cleaned before each seed lot is processed, and the cotton is labelled and stored by variety and batch.
Sarki uses a simple field test to judge the crop’s prospects. “When I break open a boll and find about eight or nine seeds, I know the harvest is going to be good,” he said.
According to Djallo, the cotton varieties grown by SODECOTON are IRMA Q302, IRMA A2188, IRMA Z2347, and IRMA D2A39, which are also displayed on the cotton production company’s website.
Sarki said he has seen differences in how seed lines perform during dry periods, although variety, seed generation and growing conditions all influence the final yield.
“Even if there is no rain for about a week, when the farm is well cared for and kept free of insects, the harvest can still be good,” he said.
Improved seed is only one part of the effort to make cotton production more resilient. Farmers are also using agroecological practices that protect soil, retain water and make better use of organic matter already available on their farms.
At Gashiga Foulbe, Haman Bello grows the Q302 variety on 4.5 hectares inherited from his parents. He said he harvests about two tonnes per hectare. Mature Faidherbia albida trees growing among the cotton help enrich the soil and provide favourable conditions for the crop.
Unlike many trees, Faidherbia sheds its leaves during the rainy growing season. The fallen leaves add organic matter to the soil while the open canopy allows sunlight to reach the crop. The tree regains its leaves in the dry season, providing shade and fodder.
“Close to this tree, production is different and better,” Bello said.
He has also laid out ridges and planting rows across the slope rather than downhill, following advice from field technicians. The contour layout slows runoff and gives water more time to soak into the soil.
“When the slope is cut across, the crops retain water, which infiltrates deeply into the soil within a day or two and keeps the moisture,” Bello said. “Even when there is no rain, my plot retains water and the cotton grows normally. It is one way to respond to climate change.”
Other conservation methods promoted in the cotton belt include reducing tillage and leaving crop residue or straw on the soil. The cover limits erosion and water loss and, as it decomposes, adds organic matter. These practices can reduce — although not necessarily eliminate — farmers’ dependence on mineral fertiliser.
Boris Herman Talla, an agronomist, described agroecology as farming that protects soil, water and biodiversity while helping growers adapt to a changing climate.
“Agroecology can reduce farmers’ reliance on fertilisers, improve soil quality and strengthen resilience to climate change,” Talla said. He added that verified production methods may also help cotton reach specialised markets, although access to those markets and any price premium would need to be established.
The gains in the field do not automatically translate into comfortable incomes. Farmers said the producer price they receive has not kept pace with the cost of seed, fertiliser and crop protection products. Inputs are supplied on credit through producer organisations and the cost is deducted when the cotton is sold.
Researchers examining seventy years of cotton varietal improvement in Cameroon noted in 2019 that a number of cotton types had been successfully exported to other African nations, demonstrating the effectiveness and competitiveness of their varietal improvement programme.
SODECOTON has reported that in areas planted, cotton yield increased more than four-fold, confirming the farmers’ experiences. Also, the production of cotton seed rose by 13.5%. Cameroonian cotton production is primarily in the long-fibre category, and the average agricultural yield has increased by 3.5 per cent, the company writes.
Mohammed Moussa, 46, has grown cotton for 28 years. He said he harvested 34 tonnes from 20 hectares last season — about 1.7 tonnes per hectare. The yield was substantial, but income still depended on the price paid and the cost of producing the crop.
Saki’s experience points to both the promise and the limits of Cameroon’s evolving cotton system. Better seed and farming methods can improve yields and protect the land, but their value to growers will ultimately be measured by how much income remains after the harvest is sold and the input loans are repaid.
For Sarki, cotton remains the household’s financial foundation.
“We do everything with the money from cotton,” he said. “We build houses, pay school fees, clothe the family and, if there is anything left, buy goats and sheep that we can sell to prepare for the next season.”
bird story agency
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