Cotton farmers in Togo are adopting regenerative agriculture practices to restore degraded soils, reduce pesticide applications, and improve yields, as field-based training helps producers strengthen cotton production while supporting the maize and other food crops grown alongside it.
The initiative, led by the Nouvelle Société Cotonnière du Togo (NSCT), combines soil conservation, organic soil amendments and more targeted pest management to address declining soil fertility, erratic rainfall and rising production costs. The programme, introduced in 2023, is gaining traction through farmer field schools that allow growers to learn and test techniques under local farming conditions.
In Bagbé, cotton farmer Badakizi Yawa says training in pheromone and coloured sticky traps has reduced the number of crop-protection treatments required on her eight-hectare farm from seven or eight per season to three or four. The traps help monitor insect activity, enabling farmers to make more targeted decisions about pest control rather than relying on repeated applications.
The experience illustrates how improved pest management could reduce chemical use and the associated costs. However, Yawa’s results are farm-specific and do not establish the average reduction achieved across Togo’s cotton sector.
The programme also targets the condition of the soil itself. Farmers are learning practices including zero tillage, crop rotation, intercropping, erosion control and the integration of crop and livestock production. They are also being trained to produce biochar and bokashi, organic soil amendments intended to improve soil conditions and help retain moisture.
These practices are particularly relevant in a sector exposed to rainfall variability and land degradation. Cotton competes for farmers’ land, labour and investment alongside food crops, meaning that deteriorating soil conditions can affect both cash-crop earnings and household food production.
NSCT reported that average cotton yields increased from 570 kilogrammes per hectare around four years earlier to more than one tonne per hectare in the 2025–2026 season. Some farmers participating in field schools recorded yields of between 1.4 and two tonnes per hectare, although results vary and the contribution of regenerative practices alone has not been independently established.
The company deployed 40 farmer field schools during the 2025–2026 season, with technical and financial support from Olam Agri. According to NSCT, more than 37,000 farmers have received training in zero tillage, while 36,650 have been trained in crop rotation. The company reports that more than 60% of those trained in zero tillage apply the technique, while the reported adoption rate for crop rotation is 97%.
The scale-up is taking place as Togo’s cotton industry recovers from several difficult seasons. The sector had nearly 79,000 growers in the 2024–2025 season, while raw cotton exports generated approximately $50.2 million in 2024, according to official figures.
Yet adoption presents practical challenges. Producing biochar and bokashi can be difficult when water is scarce, while farmers uncertain about how long they will retain access to their land may hesitate to invest in soil improvements whose benefits accumulate over several seasons. Labour requirements and the availability of materials also matter when assessing whether the techniques improve overall farm profitability.
Research involving NSCT, the University of Lomé and the University of Essex is examining how regenerative practices can be expanded in Togo’s cotton-growing communities, building on methods farmers already use to respond to rainfall variability and protect soil health.
NBF Insight
Togo’s experience suggests that improving cotton productivity may require more than better seeds and fertiliser. Soil management and more precise pest control offer another route to improving production, particularly where farmers face degraded land, irregular rainfall and pressure to control input costs.
The opportunity extends beyond cotton. Because many growers also produce food crops, practices that improve soil structure, manage erosion and conserve moisture could benefit the wider farm system. But higher yields alone do not prove that farmers are earning more: the cost of labour, materials, training and implementation must be weighed against savings on pesticides and other inputs.
The next test is whether the reported gains can be sustained across more farms and different growing conditions. Consistent measurement of yields, input spending, soil health and household returns would help establish which practices deliver the strongest results and where additional support is needed.
For Togo’s cotton sector, regenerative agriculture will be most valuable if healthier soils translate into durable productivity, more resilient mixed-crop farms, and stronger returns for growers.
