Picking Cotton in Modern Day Africa
African cotton economy in regards to cotton plantation owners and everyday Benin citizens benefit from the cotton economy but not equally. Cotton in Africa mostly benefits plantation owners, shipping merchants, and the textile industry.
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Benin cotton |
Cotton is highly susceptible to pests such as cotton bollworm, and more pesticides are used on it per unit than on any other crop. Organic farming is catching on but relies on farmers rotating their crops, which takes time, and monitoring insects.
Cotton has mainly been farmed in Benin using agrochemicals including, in some cases, the banned insecticide endosulfan, to raise yields.