The Large Farmer

In Burkina Faso cotton is the main export commodity in terms of value, generating income for approximately two million people in the country. After years of suffering from US farming policies and intense lobbying by seed companies, Burkina Faso became the first western African country to authorize genetically modified cotton, hoping the promised increase in yield would create a small profit for its farmers. Now the government forces the use of these “miracle” seeds upon farmers. Since genetically modified seeds are not allowed in organic farming, this new strategy threatens Burkina Faso’s organic cotton, which dispenses with chemical fertilizers and pesticides, preserves the soil, reduces irrigation by 40 percent, and increases the income of farmers.