Sustainable intensification in Benin: myth or realiy? Lessons from organic cotton and cotton made in Africa systems of production.

In agriculture, the concept of sustainable development emergence and its omnipresence in political discourses suggests that farming systems move toward systems considered as more environment-friendly and human health-friendly. In Benin, cotton is one of the most sectors
concerned by this transformation. Indeed, in spite of the importance of cotton in the economy of Benin, its sustainable production is nowadays threatened by conventional production approach. Various alternatives of production are developed and considered as more environment-friendly than the conventional production approach. This article analyses the sustainability of organic and cotton made in Africa (CmiA) production systems from the sustainable agricultural intensification theoretical perspective. Structured and non-structured interviews with individuals and focus groups were used to collect data from 90 organic cotton farmers of the municipality of Kandi, and 100 CmiA farmers of the municipality of Pehunco, one of the largest areas of cotton
production in the North of Benin. Data were analyzed with methods of normative and relativist comparison, descriptive statistics and analysis of variance. Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) test was used to verify the normality conditions and in some cases, logarithmic transformation was done to test the variance homogeneity. The comparison of means was done with the test of Least Significant Difference. It appears from the results that in the current condition of implementation, the alternatives system to conventional cotton production approach are not intensively sustainable. Soils fertility and pests’ management face enormous constraints and do not allow improvement of yields, economic performances, and environment protection. So, the sustainability of the alternative systems of cotton production is not guaranteed and can hardly become a reality if additional relevant conditions are not created