Production cotonnière et réduction de la pauvreté rurale au Burkina Faso : une histoire complexe

This study aims to understand the effects of cotton production on rural poverty in Burkina Faso. Unlike statistical analyses that compare the current consumption of cotton growing families with food crop growing families, the introduction of cotton is here analyzed in a long historical dynamics to understand the resulting technical, economic and social changes. An assessment of agricultural incomes conducted on a sample of farms, is then presented. It turns out that cotton production has increased agricultural productivity and raised farmers living standards but it has also led to social differentiation. More than cotton production, the services related to this cash crop have played a key role, particularly credit. Since the structural adjustment program and the following privatization of the sector, the poorest families are marginalized. Incomes are now highly variable depending on the size of families and the equipment they have. Between the poor families who can not grow cotton and the richest families who diversify their farming systems, cotton is mainly grown by middle-income families.