Résumé
In Africa, cotton is grown in 28 countries, on 4.3 Million smallholder cotton farms. It covers 4.5 Million ha – mainly rainfed, producing 1.8 Million tons of fibre, representing 7% of the world cotton fibre production. Albeit small contribution to world cotton supply, cotton is a crop of major social and economic importance in Africa. As a cash crop, it is an important source of income for over 20 million people living in rural areas, providing cash flow for essentials, and an important source of industrial jobs and foreign exchange. In addition, it is a lead crop in cropping systems that also include food crops. African cotton production suffers from some of the lowest lint yields: while the world average is 778 kg/ha, it is only 300-400 kg/ha in francophone, Eastern and Southern Africa. This yield gap is attributed to (i) environmental and cultural conditions, (ii) irregular investment in R&D, and (iii) low rotation of (obsolete) varieties and poor seed quality. The African cotton sector is characterized by a diversity of actors and situations. Major stakeholders involved in the cotton sector are cotton producers and their associations, public and private cotton companies, public and private agricultural research organisations, inter-professional associations, seed producers, distributors and retailers, Ministries of Agriculture and their seed inspection services, plant protection services… The cotton sector is organized either as a monopoly (a single cotton company), an oligopoly (a limited number of cotton companies, coordinated by an inter-professional association), or based on an open market. The price of seed cotton is set by a national coordination system or independently by the cotton companies. Currently, in Africa, the organization of the cottonseed sector is considered as an important bottleneck to increase the yields, the quantity and quality of seed cotton and fiber, the income of cotton producers, and the profitability of the whole cotton sector. In addition, improvement of cottonseed is an essential cornerstone for the sustainability of the cotton production. Between 2017 and 2020, the Centre for International Cooperation in Agricultural Research for Development (CIRAD) conducted a cross-cutting analysis of the status of the cottonseed systems in nine sub-Saharan African countries: Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania, Zambia, representing together more than half of the African cotton production. The analysis was carried out in cooperation with local researchers, cotton companies and sectorial organizations and with the organizational and financial support of the Cotton Expert House Africa (CHA) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). Four aspects were considered: Breeding and germplasm performance, Variety release, Seed production, and Seed management. The analysis identified the following major constraints and trends. Regarding the commodity chain: low yields and productivity (income per ha), need to improve the production and management system, varieties, seed (genetic and physiological) quality, stakeholders' capacity, need of better recognition of the value of quality seeds. Regarding breeding: low rate of variety turnover, limited funding, human resources, and germplasm pool, and need to improve international and regional cooperation, networks. Regarding seed production: insufficient capacity to produce and distribute sufficient quality seed, and need to improve the organization of the seed multiplication process. Regarding stakeholders' training and capacity building: need for continuous efforts. Based on the findings, the analysis proposes seven fields of action: 1) Providing quality seeds, 2) Fostering the breeding effort, 3) Training and capacity building, 4) Setting up an inclusive system for the cotton sector, 5) Selecting adapted seed areas, 6) Giving value to quality seed, 7) Improving environmental sustainability. They can be adapted to the particular local situation and prioritized depending on their applicability, potential impact, resources available and urgency. A project, to be coordinated by CIRAD, the African Cotton Foundation (ACF), and the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) is under construction to follow-up on the findings of the study. It aims at sustainably improving the living conditions of African smallholder cotton farmers by providing them with quality cottonseed and updated technical recommendations.