The poverty of ‘poverty reduction’: the case of African cotton

African cotton has been an engine of immiseration. On this the historic record is clear. Since 2002 development policy and decision makers have attempted to treat aspects of this unwelcome condition by focusing official poverty-reduction efforts more explicitly on cotton. While these anti-poverty palliatives have doubtless been well-warranted, the preferred poverty pain relievers have under-performed. This article argues that poverty reduction efforts undertaken for African cotton at multiple levels over the past 13 years have been overly infused with neoliberal ideas. Many experts have simply not cottoned on to the possibility that prescriptions steeped in neoliberal predispositions might only alleviate some of the symptoms that their African ‘patients’ experience every day. In this context status quo poverty reduction initiatives come at a high potential risk and cost. Absent a rethink, in this case the poverty of ‘poverty reduction’ could well be cemented.