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Supporting Farmers in Mali to Improve Soil Health  

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Supporting Farmers in Mali to Improve Soil Health  

Joe Morphet on March 29, 2022

By Lisa Barratt, Africa Operations Manager and Abdoul Aziz Yanogo West Africa Regional Manager – both Better Cotton.

Healthy soils are vital to growing flourishing cotton crops and improving livelihoods. At Better Cotton we work closely with partners on the ground to help cotton farming communities adopt better soil health practices. We develop a full understanding of local challenges and aim for practical, effective and affordable techniques, so that they’re accessible to smallholders. Together, we focus on continuously raising farmers’ yields and lowering their environmental impacts by safeguarding the future of their soils. 

In 2021, the Better Cotton Mali Team undertook one such project, working with our longstanding Implementing Partner, Compagnie Malienne pour le Développement des Textiles (CMDT), to help demonstrate the impact of sustainable soil management techniques to Better Cotton Farmers. We often find that it helps farmers to see the benefits of a certain technique before they try it on their own farm, so they can see that it works. That’s why we bring it to life for them through demonstration plots in their communities, where they can see exactly how improving soil health, for example, leads to healthier, more resilient crops. 

Lisa Barratt & Abdoul Aziz Yanogo

Understanding Soil Health Challenges in Mali 

Cotton is Mali’s principal crop and second largest export. However, cotton farmers in Mali face multiple challenges, including irregular weather and shorter growing seasons, fluctuating prices and high input costs, and poor soil health. In particular, the soils are low in organic matter, so the plants aren’t benefitting from the nutrients inherent to healthy, thriving, biodiverse soils. They’re also low in the vital minerals all plants need like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. 

Action on the Ground 

Our aim was to raise awareness of local soil heath challenges, explain the benefit of sustainable practices, and work together with farmers to implement action plans, based on practical demonstrations and field-based support. We also supported soil testing as an important means of checking soil health to help inform any fertilisation efforts. 

This began with understanding how farmers currently fertilised their fields. We interviewed 120 farmers to get an idea of prevalent practices. We also identified four good demonstration plots and sent soil samples for laboratory analysis. Among our findings, we noticed that farmers were applying the same level of mineral fertilisers to all their fields (despite the different needs of the soil), the organic matter they were adding wasn’t enough in relation to the soil’s needs, and they weren’t including enough legumes when rotating crops. 

We adapted our training to suit their needs, starting with training those CDMT representatives who’d be helping farmers on the ground. From there, we were ready to develop a three-year plan that would really help farmers move forward and grow healthier crops. The goals of the plan include reducing the use of synthetic fertilisers and improving soil organic matter, which assists in improving soil moisture retention.  

So what did we recommend? 

All the practices we advised were designed to restore, maintain, and monitor soil fertility. For example, in addition to taking soil samples and having them analysed, we recommended using well-decomposed organic manure, which farmers could get from local cattle farmers or their own cattle. We also recommended adding mineral fertilisers to ensure the right levels of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, all vital for healthy crop growth. To help preserve the soil’s natural structure, promote moisture retention and reduce erosion, we also proposed reducing the frequency and depth of tillage (whereby farmers churn up the soil to prepare the fields for sowing). Instead, we suggested that farmers use dry hoeing and dry scraping to help the soil retain its structure.  

Cotton plot with a stone border to protect the field against water erosion
Use of organic manure on cotton plot before ploughing

To further prevent erosion, we suggested ploughing along the contour lines or forming ridges perpendicular to the slope top help retain rainwater in the field. And to improve levels of organic matter in the soil, we integrated woody legumes such as mimosa and acacia, which can be used as mulch to promote better soil once they’re harvested. This is fundamental to improving soil fertility. And to give the soil a rest from growing one type of crop exclusively, we recommended a soil rotation system, including these legumes.  

What next? 

As we establish the demonstration plots in 2022, we’ll keep supporting farmers throughout, monitoring their progress and helping them to achieve continuous improvement. Importantly, these efforts will help us to develop a similar programme in Mozambique, and they’ll also help inform Better Cotton’s 2030 soil health target to support all Better Cotton Farmers in achieving healthier soils.  

Learn more about Better Cotton and soil health

Understanding the Living Soil: There Really Is a Universe Beneath Our Feet  
Sustainability soil soil health
What Is Soil Health? Better Cotton Launches New Soil Health Series
Sustainability impact soil health
Read more

Better Cotton Conference Registration Is Open: Early Bird Tickets Available for Two Weeks

Joe Morphet on March 17, 2022

We are pleased to announce that registration for the Better Cotton Conference 2022 is now open!  

Hosted in a hybrid format—with both virtual and in-person options for joining—we look forward to the opportunity to bring our global cotton community together and engage face-to-face once again. 

Date: 22 – 23 June 2022 
Location: Malmö, Sweden or join us online  
Audience: Public
Price: Early bird tickets start at €272 (excl. VAT)

Register here

Register before 4 April 2022 to take advantage of the early bird rates. 

Conference Theme

This year the conference theme is Climate Action. We will be exploring a wide range of topics through this lens including: 

  • regenerative agriculture,
  • traceability,
  • gender equality,
  • climate change capacity building and many more.

Join us to see how the sector can collaborate in these areas to create and drive collective impact in shaping a more sustainable future for cotton. 

Sponsorship Opportunities

We have a number of sponsorship opportunities available, from supporting cotton farmers’ travel to the event, to sponsoring the conference dinner.

Please contact Events Coordinator Annie Ashwell at [email protected] to find out more. 

Visit the conference website
Read more

Is Regenerative Farming Just a Buzzword or a Blueprint For Restoring Soil Health?

Joe Morphet on March 9, 2022

Photo Credit: BCI/Florian Lang Location: Surendranagar, Gujarat, India. 2018. Description: An farm-worker is preparing a field with the help of a manual plough, which is drawn by bulls for cotton cultivation.

By Alan McClay, CEO, Better Cotton. This opinion piece was first published by Reuters Events on 9 March 2022.

Irreversible ecosystem collapse is looming. If nothing is done to stop it, farming systems face a potentially catastrophic future, with severe implications for society the world over. 

This isn’t hyperbole. It’s the verdict of hundreds of the world’s leading climate scientists, as recently expressed in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) latest report. The writing is already on the wall. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), over one third of the world’s soils are already degraded due to erosion, salinisation, compacting, acidification and chemical pollution. The result? An absence of the diversity of life that is integral to nourishing plants and crops. 

The core idea of regenerative agriculture is that farming can give back to, rather than take from, the soil and society.

As every farmer knows, healthy soil is the foundation of productive agriculture. Not only does it help cycle nutrients and filter water, it helps increase resilience to climate change by returning carbon to the ground. Cue the new buzzword on the block, “regenerative agriculture”. From one day to the next, the phrase seems to be everywhere, from the mouths of climate advocates to the speeches of leading politicians. Not since the “Green Revolution” of the 1950s has a farming-related buzzword gathered so much pace so quickly. As ever, critics have not been slow in coming forward. Their arguments follow conventional lines. Some say the term lacks rigour – “regenerative”, “organic”, “sustainable”, “carbon-smart”, all spawn from the same woolly basket. Others maintain that it’s an old idea rehashed in modern clothing. What were the earliest agriculturalists of the Fertile Crescent if not regenerative farmers? 

Such criticisms hide more than a little truth. The term regenerative agriculture can certainly mean different things to different people. And, yes, it does embrace concepts such as reduced tilling, crop rotation and cover crops that, in some cases, go back millennia. But to gripe about terminology is to miss the point. For one, the vagaries of definition are not nearly as great or problematic as some like to claim. The core idea of regenerative agriculture – namely, that farming can give back to, rather than take from, the soil and society – is hardly controversial. 

Fuzzy terminology can confuse consumers and, worse still, facilitate greenwashing.

Secondly, farming techniques vary enormously, meaning specific methodologies are always going to be hard to pin down. Practices pursued by farmers in west Africa, where the soil is notoriously infertile, for instance, will be different from those adopted in India, where pests and erratic weather are chief concerns.   

Thirdly, lack of complete consensus doesn’t necessarily lead to a complete lack of action. Take the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals; the specifics of each goal may not please everyone, but they please people enough to amass a huge amount of collective energy.    

In a similar vein, fresh terms can refresh our thinking. A decade ago, conversations about soil health and crop yields tended heavily towards the technical. A little less fertiliser here, a little more fallow time there. Today, with talk of regenerative agriculture increasingly widespread, extractivist agriculture itself is now on the table for debate. 

Of course, clear definitions are important. In their absence, misunderstandings can arise in practice that slow or even undermine the transition to more sustainable farming. Likewise, fuzzy terminology can confuse consumers and, worse still, facilitate greenwashing. In this regard, Textile Exchange’s recently published Landscape Analysis of regenerative agriculture marks a valuable and timely contribution. Built through dialogue at all levels of the farming community, it establishes an important set of basic principles that all major players can get behind.   

We especially welcome the report’s acknowledgement of benefits beyond carbon storage and emission reductions – important as both certainly are. Regenerative agriculture is not a one-trick pony. Improvements to soil health, habitat protection and water systems are just some of the other ancillary environmental benefits it delivers. 

We see the fact of regenerative agriculture now being on everyone’s lips as a huge positive.

Likewise, as an organisation committed to improving the livelihoods of millions of cotton producers, the emphasis on social outcomes is also to be applauded. As critical actors in the agricultural system, the voices of farmers and workers are fundamental to deciding how regenerative farming is framed and what outcomes it should aim for. 

To reiterate, we see the fact of regenerative agriculture now being on everyone’s lips as a huge positive. Not only is the unsustainability of today’s intensive, input-heavy farming increasingly well understood, so too is the contribution that regenerative models can make to turning this around. The challenge going forward is to turn growing awareness into on-the-ground action. The issues that regenerative farming seek to address are urgent. At Better Cotton, we’re big believers in continuous improvement. Rule number one? Get out of the blocks and get started. 

One key lesson we have learned over the last decade or so is that effective action won’t happen without an effective strategy to back it up. That’s why we encourage our participating field-level partners to establish a comprehensive soil management plan, spelling out tangible steps for improving soil biodiversity and preventing land degradation. Another crucial impetus to action is telling a convincing story. Farmers won’t transition from what they know on the basis of anecdotes and promises. Hard evidence is required. And, for that, investment in monitoring and data research is needed. 

Fashions, by nature, move on. In the case of regenerative agriculture, expect definitions to be refined and approaches to be revised. As a basic concept of how we ought to farm, however, it is firmly here to stay. Neither the planet nor farmers can afford it otherwise. 

Learn more about Better Cotton and soil health

Supporting Farmers in Mali to Improve Soil Health  
Capacity Strengthening soil soil health
Understanding the Living Soil: There Really Is a Universe Beneath Our Feet  
Sustainability soil soil health
Read more

International Women’s Day 2022: Insights from the Cotton Field with Narjis Fatima

Joe Morphet on March 8, 2022

Narjis Fatima, Field Facilitator, WWF-Pakistan

From an early age, Narjis developed a special love and affinity for agriculture and nature. Her mother, who was a cotton picker and a leader for women workers’ rights, inspired her to support women in the cotton sector. WWF-Pakistan appointed her as a Field Facilitator in 2018. Narjis has since trained countless women from the local villages and communities on better cotton-picking practices.  

What inspired you to work with women in the cotton sector? 

Agriculture being our family business, I loved it since childhood. My father was a farmer, and my mother was a cotton picker. After completing my studies, I used to go cotton picking with my mother. Along with cotton picking, my mother was also a leader for women workers’ rights. Some of the farmers either used to pay fewer wages or did not provide clean drinking water and she wanted to change this. I was inspired by my mother’s commitment to workers’ rights, and I wanted to do something for the workers too.  

What motivates you in your role as a Field Facilitator? 

The aim of our project is to promote Better Cotton cultivation to make cotton production better for the grower, better for the environment and better for the cotton industry. By training women workers on the principles of Better Cotton, I can play my role in producing sustainable cotton, and I can improve their social and economic resources. I can also contribute to the benefits of innovation in agriculture and play a role in saving nature. That’s why I wish to drive innovation in agriculture to provide a brighter future for my children. I love nature so much that I want to work for its survival. 

Can you tell us about one of the biggest challenges you’ve had to face as a woman in the cotton sector? 

When I started working for WWF-Pakistan, I faced a lot of problems because my family did not want me to work. No one from my family would take me to the field and there was no public transport facility in our area. I had to learn how to ride a motorbike by myself. I fell several times and suffered many injuries, but I did not give up. In the end, all my hard work paid off. I have been riding my motorbike for three years now and going to the field on my bike has inspired a lot of other women. 

Can you share any examples of new practices that have led to positive change? 

We train women workers on the benefits of using personal protective equipment when working in the field. We show them how to cover their head before picking, use face masks, cover their hands with gloves and use cotton cloth for cotton picking. I am very glad that so many women are now following safer practices. 

What are your hopes for the cotton communities you work in? 

I hope that our training will encourage more children to go to school and that our cotton growing society will grow their cotton in line with the Better Cotton Principles. I also hope that workers’ rights will be respected, and natural resources not misused. I hope that our cotton community will protect the environment and adopt water saving methods, protect biodiversity and pay equal wages. I hope that no one will ever be discriminated against based on their caste, colour, race, or religion. Finally, I hope that workers will have freedom of association and women will have equal rights with men. 

Read Q&A with Anjali Thakur, Ambuja Cement Foundation, India

Read Q&A with Gülan Oflaz, GAP UNDP, Turkey
Read more

International Women’s Day 2022: Insights from the Cotton Field with Gülan Oflaz 

Joe Morphet on March 8, 2022

Gülan Oflaz, Field Facilitator, GAP UNDP, Turkey

Gülan’s desire to return to her farming roots led her to study to become an agricultural engineer. Combining her hands-on experiences and her expertise, she now works with cotton farmers in Sanliurfa, which sits at the heart of cotton production in Turkey. 

In her role as Field Facilitator for GAP UNDP, Gülan and her team are responsible for 150 farmers in 25 villages. They conduct field visits, assess the needs of the farmers in their project areas and deliver trainings on the Better Cotton Standard. Their goal is to support cotton farmers to adopt more sustainable farming techniques and continuously improve their practices.  

What led you to work in the cotton sector? 

I wanted to help develop and improve cotton production in line with sustainable cotton farming practices, support better working conditions for farmers and farm workers, and carry out activities without disturbing the natural balance of the ecosystem. I’m excited to work in sustainable cotton farming and contribute to this step of its production.  

What are the biggest challenges you see in the cotton communities where you work?  

There are numerous challenges in cotton production. First and foremost, it’s helpful to remember that it is difficult for any of us to change the habits that we learn from our ancestors, and in this context, farmers are used to growing cotton using the traditional agriculture methods they’ve become accustomed to. For example, we have seen farmers using water and pesticides excessively, regardless of the plants’ needs, and over fertilising the soil without conducting any soil analysis. Many are also unaware of their labour rights and the support they have access to. 

Can you share any examples of new practices that have led to positive change? 

When I started out, I saw farmers applying pesticides without considering the pest threshold level, which led to an over-use of pesticides, damaged the ecology of their farmland, increased farming costs and increased the resistance of the pest population. At GAP UNDP, we organise and deliver trainings to farmers on the importance of reducing pesticide applications, measuring pest populations before spraying pesticides, and encouraging beneficial insects, which act as natural pest control. We also work with farmers to address water use and prevent excessive water waste by measuring their usage and installing sprinkler systems and drip irrigation systems in their fields. We have seen practices and behaviours changing for the better over time. 

What specifically inspires you to work with women in cotton? 

In cotton farming, women constitute a large proportion of the work force. Many women in the cotton farming regions in Turkey have a lower level of education and often work on their families’ farms in order to contribute to the combined family income. I want to raise awareness of better working conditions and to encourage women by helping them to develop their technical skills and knowledge, helping them to contribute and play their role in sustainable cotton farming. 

What are your hopes for the cotton communities you work in? 

Together, we will continue to contribute to sustainable cotton farming in our country and improve the living and working conditions of all farmers and farm workers, particularly women.  

Read Q&A with Narjis Fatima, WWF-Pakistan

Read Q&A with Anjali Thakur, Ambuja Cement Foundation, India
Read more

International Women’s Day 2022: Insights from the Cotton Field with Anjali Thakur 

Joe Morphet on March 8, 2022

Anjali Thakur, Producer Unit Manager, Ambuja Cement Foundation, India 

Anjali grew up in an agricultural family and went on to achieve an undergraduate degree in Horticulture and an MBA in Agribusiness Management. She has always had a desire to work with and support farming communities and families, and this inspired her to pursue a career in this sector.  

In her role as Producer Unit Manager at Ambuja Cement Foundation, Anjali works to build the capacity of the field-level staff who deliver trainings to Better Cotton Farmers. She works with them to develop demonstration plots where they can showcase best practice farming techniques, and she conducts research and baseline surveys to assess the effectiveness of the practices adopted by farmers. 

What key challenges do you see in cotton production in India? 

The use of pesticides is a challenge – we know that the excessive use of pesticides is harmful for the environment, to soil and water, and indirectly harmful to human health. I want to keep raising awareness among farming communities to use less and less pesticides and to find alternative natural methods of pest control. Achieving this motivates me in my role. 

Can you tell us about any positive changes that you have seen on the ground? 

I work with cotton communities on the ground, and I have seen lots of positive changes over the years. It’s easy to adopt new practices in the field, but positive changes in terms of long-term behavioural change is very important. For example, previously, farmers were not using personal protective equipment when applying pesticides, but now they are. And if I look 8 to 10 years back there was child labour, but in our project areas that has now been eliminated. The way the farmers want to learn and the way they are improving themselves inspires me. 

Can you share some examples of the more sustainable practices that farmers are implementing? 

There are lots of practices that contribute to sustainable agriculture. For example, to support better water conservation and harvesting, we work with farmers to install farm ponds and drip irrigation in their fields – we know that the efficiency of drip irrigation is 85% – 90% so this is contributing to reduced water usage and more sustainable practices overall. We also conduct soil and biodiversity mapping and then work with farmers to restore these resources on their farms. More broadly, I identify government schemes that may help to support farmers in implementing new practices and I look for opportunities to partner with universities and institutions to support relevant research studies into sustainable farming practices. 

Tell us more about how you are supporting women in cotton? 

When I started out in my role, I saw that many women were involved in farm labour, but they were not involved in any decision making. I wanted to share my knowledge with them to empower them. I started to deliver training sessions and raise awareness about the Better Cotton programme and other agronomical practices among female farmers and farm workers. The way they are learning new things inspires me. Before, they had limited knowledge of more sustainable practices, but now they know about pesticide labelling, how to encourage beneficial insects, and the benefits of wearing personal protective equipment, such as masks and gloves. 

Are there any thoughts you would like to leave us with?  

I live and work in a male dominated society – I see in the villages that many fathers do not let their daughters go and study higher education. My role is important in delivering training to women, as they then inspire and encourage one another, which opens up new opportunities for them. I see this driving change for future generations.  

Read Q&A with Gülan Oflaz, GAP UNDP, Turkey

Read Q&A with Narjis Fatima, WWF-Pakistan
Read more
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