Completed Project: Regional Workshop on the Project Achievements of the Cotton Contamination Project in West Africa

The goal of the Project was to organize and document a regional workshop reviewing the results of a previously funded CFC project on the prevention of seed cotton contamination in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali completed in 2013 (CFC/ICAC/38). The overall objective of that project was to improve incomes of small cotton farmers by changing their cotton producing and harvesting practices in order to produce clean and uncontaminated cotton. The project helped inform and educate cotton producers and other stakeholders in the cotton sector on the problem of cotton contamination and its effects on fibre quality and marketing. Following the training received and the acquisition of appropriate harvesting materials, beneficiaries have adopted best practices that led to better cotton production. Although a technical report is available (ICAC/38 Technical Report), it was considered appropriate to have a regional meeting to share the experiences gained.

The National Coordinator for CFC projects in Burkina Faso took the initiative and the lead in organizing the event, in close cooperation with SOFITEX, the Burkina Faso cotton company involved in the contamination project. The workshop was held in Bobo-Dioulasso on the 28th and 29th April 2014 with the primary objective of reviewing the results of the aforementioned project and to specifically explore the possibilities and commercial features available to continue the initiated activities in a sustainable manner. The workshop offered a forum of exchange for key players in the cotton sector in West Africa.

A report of the workshop and a road-map for the implementation of a sustainable follow-up plan have been prepared by the organizers in English and French, and can be accessed through the below links:

• FEUILLE DE ROUTE POUR LA MISE EN OEUVRE DES ACTIONS DE PERENNISATION DES ACQUIS DU PROJET DE PREVENTION DE LA CONTAMINATION DU COTON EN AFRIQUE DE L’OUEST
• Rapport de l atelier d' Echanges
• Report of the Workshop
• ROADMAP FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION