Organization and Performance of Cotton Sectors in Africa ... - infoDev

fact that 55 percent of cotton is produced under irrigated conditions. Thoughaverage yields under irrigation are much higher than under rainfed conditions,worldwide yield growth has been much greater in the latter: average yield inrainfed cultivation more than doubled between 1980 and 2005, growing 3.9percent per year, while yield in irrigated systems increased by only 60 percent,or 1.8 percent per year (figure 10.2). Yet Africa, where nearly all production israinfed, has not seen this kind of growth: ESA yields have risen only about 2.1percent per year, while WCA yields have stagnated or declined. As a result, whileWCA yields were well above world average rainfed yields in 1980/81, the rest ofthe world’s rainfed cotton production systems have now surpassed WCA. Whathas been driving these divergent yield trends?Evolution of Cotton Yields in WCA and ESADeclining cotton yields in WCA are commonly explained by (a) a decline infertilizer use, partly resulting from a reallocation to food crops; (b) a declinein the number of insecticide applications, leading to higher infestation levels;(c) problems with seed quality, often quoted as a reason for declining yields ininterviews with farmers in Mali in 2007; and (d) a degradation of soil fertilityfrom continuous cultivation and insufficiently adapted fertilization formulas.These factors are discussed in more detail later in this chapter.Country average yields over time mask variation within countries fromspatial and socioeconomic factors. In Benin, for example, during the 2001/02Figure 10.2 Average Worldwide Yields of Irrigated and Rainfed Cotton1,2001,000956yields of lint (kg/hectare)80060040060944920017201980/81 2005/06yearIrrigatedDrylandSource: Authors.YIELDS AND RETURNS TO FARMERS 119