Cameroon Cotton Farmers Pair Improved Seed With Nature-Based Methods

In Cameroon’s northern cotton belt, growers are combining carefully controlled seed multiplication with trees, crop residue and water-conserving field design to improve yields and withstand dry spells.

A day-old lamb leaps and bleats beneath a shed while, behind a cluster of mud-brick, thatched-roof homes, Akoura Sarki inspects the leaves of his cotton plants for signs of insect damage.

The farmer, now in his late sixties, knows this stage of the season well. About 45 days after planting,…