The goal is to help farmers, designers and artisans move up the chain, build climate resilience, and create fairer trade opportunities.

On World Cotton Day 2025, celebrated at FAO headquarters in Rome, Africa’s cotton sector took centre stage as stakeholders emphasised a bold shift toward sustainable, value‑added trade to underpin inclusive industrialisation and climate‑smart growth under the AfCFTA framework

Cotton still lies at the heart of many African rural economies from Chad and Burkina Faso through to Zambia and Tanzania but the industry now faces growing headwinds. Export dynamics are changing: the benefits once enjoyed under AGOA are expiring, and buyers demand higher sustainability standards. Meanwhile, farmers wrestle with unpredictable rainfall, degrading soils, constrained finances and weak access to agricultural innovations. A significant portion of the cotton harvested continues to be shipped off the continent as raw fibre, meaning African nations forego the higher revenues and employment that come with processing and manufacturing.

At the Rome gathering, organisations such as ITC, FAO, WTO, UNIDO and African governments reaffirmed their resolve to deepen the cotton‑to‑clothing value chain across the continent. The goal is to help farmers, designers and artisans move up the chain, build climate resilience, and create fairer trade opportunities. In Tanzania and Zambia, for instance, smallholders are trialling climate‑smart approaches: instead of burning crop residues, they convert them into biochar to restore soil fertility and cut emissions. Over 10,000 Tanzanian farmers employed these practices in a year, seeing yield rises of up to 20%. In Zambia, around 130,000 farmers doubled their output while tapping into the world’s first cotton‑linked carbon credits.

Elsewhere, in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali, women artisans and emerging fashion creators are transforming African cotton into high‑value textile goods. Through partnerships with the Ethical Fashion Initiative (EFI), they access global markets and elevate Africa’s design identity. At the manufacturing end, support schemes such as ITC’s GTEX/MENATEX and the UK Trade Partnerships (UKTP) are helping firms in Egypt, Ethiopia and Tanzania to scale, improve competitiveness, and expand trade within Africa and beyond.

The ambition is bold: under AfCFTA’s umbrella, cotton can evolve from a raw export into a vibrant, sustainable industry. African governments and partners are pushing for investment in regional processing, compliance with sustainability norms, and smart trade strategies. In this renewed vision, cotton ceases to be merely a crop it becomes a conduit for economic empowerment, climate action, and pride. The aspiration is clear: an Africa where cotton is not only cultivated, but processed, designed and traded, sustaining both communities and a more equitable future. 

The higher-quality seeds have been collected marking a considerable increase from the previous year.

The agricultural sector is heading into the 2025–2026 cereal season with renewed momentum, thanks to a significant rise in the production of high-quality seeds.

According to the latest report, approximately 702,000 quintals of higher-quality seeds have been collected marking a considerable increase from the previous year.

This sharp rise is being hailed as a direct result of intensified national efforts to boost local seed production and strengthen food security through agri-tech and innovation. The net output of certified seeds now stands at 515,000 quintals, nearly double last year’s volume of 261,000 quintals, representing a 97.3% increase. The majority of this production is spread across 460,000 hectares of durum wheat, 45,000 hectares of soft wheat, and 10,000 hectares of barley.

At the same time, the estimated demand for certified seeds remains high, with projections standing at 573,000 quintals, alongside an expected 127,000 quintals for barley. With this in mind, national planning efforts have shifted gears to ensure farmers have timely access to the inputs they need especially as drought conditions continue to be a pressing concern.

In response to the challenging climate outlook, the government has implemented proactive measures to support producers. As part of the preparations for the upcoming season, the prices of basic chemical fertilisers have been frozen, following the decision made during the Restricted Ministerial Council on 20 May 2025. This move is designed to shield farmers from market volatility and reduce the cost burden on cereal growers.

The planned sowing area for the 2025–2026 cereal season is estimated at 1.145mn hectares, with 853,000 hectares allocated to the Northwestern regions and 291,000 hectares to the Central and Southern governorates. Irrigated land, however, is set to decrease slightly, with 77,000 hectares projected, down from 80,000 hectares the previous year.

To support this scale of cultivation, the fertiliser programme for the season will supply 289,000 tonnes of basic chemical fertilisers. The Tunisian Chemical Group has pledged to produce 150,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate at the Gabes facility, with plans to import an additional 70,000 tonnes. By late September, 38,000 tonnes of superphosphate 45, 46,000 tonnes of DAP (Diammonium Phosphate) and 37,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate had already been distributed to agricultural companies.

“This season’s strong seed output is a testament to coordinated efforts across the agricultural value chain, ensuring farmers are better equipped to face future challenges,” the report concluded.

The government plans to increase irrigated land from aiming to build a resilient, tech-driven food system.

Rwanda is stepping into the future of farming with the integration of machine learning and satellite imagery to modernise its agriculture sector

The government’s latest push aims to increase efficiency, profitability, and sustainability, with a strong focus on attracting young people into agribusiness.

According to Mark Cyubahiro Bagabe, the Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, this shift marks a significant departure from traditional, labour-intensive field sampling previously used for agricultural data collection. "Today, we are moving forward using machine learning, using satellite imaging, where we are able to estimate the crop area and the crop growth condition, and therefore to be able to estimate the yield using technology," he said.

This season, the approach will begin with maize, Irish potatoes, and rice, with plans to expand to crops like cassava. Challenges remain with crops such as beans, which are intercropped and harder to detect via satellite, but advancements are ongoing.

Bagabe described the transformation as a move from smallholder subsistence to high-tech commercial agriculture, making the sector more appealing to young Rwandans. “You cannot create profit, you cannot make it a business, unless you standardise... That’s precision, that’s standardisation,” he explained, citing automated irrigation as an example of this modern approach.

Precision agriculture, which uses GPS, sensors, drones, and satellite data, allows farmers to optimise water, fertiliser, and pesticide use while increasing yields and sustainability. Already in Rwanda, automated systems are helping regulate irrigation based on real-time crop needs, cutting labour costs and conserving water.

The government plans to increase irrigated land from 70,000 to 130,000 hectares by 2029, aiming to build a resilient, tech-driven food system.

Youth-led businesses are embracing drone technology for crop monitoring and exporting these services across borders. “Technology has come to make agriculture much easier for us,” Bagabe stressed.

Cynthia Umutoniwabo, CEO of Loopa, urged young agripreneurs to build businesses around solving real problems. “Build solutions that are addressing real challenges... then it’s not going to be a hustle,” she advised.

Farmers will benefit from subsidised inputs, with support ranging from US$300 to US$500 to improve soil fertility and productivity.

The Namibian government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, has announced an investment of US$34mn to support the implementation of strategic rain-fed agronomic projects during the 2025/26 financial year

The initiative is part of ongoing efforts to enhance national food security and build resilient agricultural value chains.

The funding will provide subsidised assistance to cereal farmers in the country’s ten crop-growing regions - Zambezi, Kunene, Omaheke, Otjozondjupa, Kavango East, Kavango West, Ohangwena, Oshikoto, Oshana and Omusati. Support will include access to improved seeds, fertilisers, and mechanised tillage services.

The programmes will be delivered under existing initiatives such as the Dry Land Crop Production Programme (DCPP), the Cereal Value Chain Development Programme (CVCDP), and the Comprehensive Conservation Agriculture Programme (CCAP). While the DCPP and CVCDP are active in the ten cropping regions, the CCAP is being rolled out in all 14 regions across the country.

Funding distribution will vary by region. More than US$3.8mn has been allocated to the Zambezi region, while Ohangwena, Omusati, and Oshikoto will each receive US$2.9mn. Kavango East, Kavango West, and Oshana are set to receive US$2.8mn each, with smaller amounts going to Otjozondjupa, Omaheke, and Kunene.

Farmers will benefit from subsidised inputs, with support ranging from US$300 to US$500 to improve soil fertility and productivity. A 50% subsidy will be available on pesticides and herbicides, and weeding services will be subsidised at US$400 per hectare, up to a maximum of five hectares per household.

Further support includes a maximum subsidy of US$10,000 for household grain storage, US$30,000 for a hammer mill, and US$30,000 for a thresher. Farmers are encouraged to register at their nearest Agriculture Development Centres to access these benefits.

As the Ministry said, “The overall objective of these programmes is to ensure and accelerate the provision of subsidised agricultural production inputs (improved seeds and fertilisers) and mechanised services (tillage and planting).”

By increasing crop yields and lowering input costs, the government hopes to improve food and nutrition security, create employment, and reduce poverty and income inequality.