SCOPA – Sustainable Cotton Production in Africa:
Organic Cotton for Employment,
Growth and Environment?

Project period

1 January 2015 – 31 December 2019

Funded

by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, through Danida

Total budget

9,998,822 DKK

Description

In this research project, we develop and apply an interdisciplinary framework for assessing and comparing environmental, economic, and social sustainability of cotton production in Sub-Saharan Africa. Our analysis includes several currently practiced organic and conventional ways of cotton production as well as some innovative—potentially more sustainable—ways of cotton production. Sustainability is assessed by several indicators, e.g. pesticide residues, soil fertility, greenhouse gas emissions, competitiveness, income and employment generation, and social conditions along the value chains. The empirical studies are conducted in Benin and Tanzania, representing West and East Africa, respectively.

Find a more detailed project description here (pdf)

Project Coordinator

Arne Henningsen, Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen

Participating institutions and researchers

Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen:

Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen:

Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University:

Laboratory of Social Dynamics and Development Studies (LADYD), University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC):

  • Roch L. Mongbo
  • Anne Floquet

Laboratory of Biomathematics and Forest estimations (LaBEF), Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC):

National High School of Agricultural Sciences and Technologies, University of Parakou:

  • Epiphane Sodjinou
  • Ghislain Boris Aïhounton (PhD student)

National Institute of Agricultural Research in Benin (INRAB):

  • Attanda Mouinou Igué

Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA):

  • Joseph Hella
  • Michael Baha (PhD student)

Department of Soil Science, Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA):

  • Nyambilila Amuri
  • Thomas Bwana (PhD student)