Land Degradation and Cotton Growing in Farming Communities in Benin

The municipality of Kerou is an agricultural community characterized by land impoverishment due to cotton monoculture and rudimentary agricultural technology (1). Land degradation in the municipality of Kérou is therefore a worrying situation that has a negative impact on soil fertility, crop yields and can lead to long-term food insecurity and poverty (2). The model developed by the soil scientists of the FAO (3) and the World Bank (4 and 5) is used to calculate from 2013-2014 the accumulated land losses (Pt) of 2.79 to 10.45 t/ha/year, following cotton growing in the municipality of Kérou