International technical cooperation project "Technological strengthening and dissemination of good agricultural practices for cotton in Togo and C4 countries", developed by Brazil jointly with Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Togo, countries located in West Africa.

The initiative aims to help the five African countries to develop the cotton sector, increasing productivity, generating genetic diversity and improving the quality of the product grown.

The Cotton-4 project is in its second phase, which started in 2014. The first stage was completed in 2013 and included only Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali (called C-4). It was the first initiative of regional character developed by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) in partnership with Embrapa.

During the first stage, a noteworthy result was the establishment of the following facilities in Mali: an office complex; an entomology lab to raise natural enemies of major cotton plant pests in the area; a cold chamber to store genetic resources; a shed to process samples, and space for a power generator. Furthermore, soil and biotechnology laboratories were revitalized.

The C-4 has also enabled the training of human resources and adaptation of several Brazilian technologies ranging from seeds to techniques to improve production systems such as no-till farming and integrated pest management.

The new stage aims at improving the competitiveness of the cotton production chain in the C-4 countries and Togo, adapting competitive technologies for cotton cropping in smallholdings, and reinforcing capacities at co-executing institutions for the development of technological solutions that are suited to the cotton production sector in partner countries.