Whenever Africa meets the wealthy West, the issue of access to markets for its agro-products springs up. An African cotton producers’ stakeholders’ forum I recently attended exposed two things: Europe’s fixation with the image of poor Africa and African farmers’ limited knowledge about the European market.

In one panel, shortly after a presenter from Pesticide Action Network had made her points on pesticide poisoning in Benin, a farmer remarked: “I didn’t realize that Europe forbids use of some chemicals and yet their corporations use them in Africa. The price we pay to supply cotton to Europe is injuries and death.” “But you know African farmers want to see results immediately; they prefer chemicals that act on the spot on pests,” responded another farmer.

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