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‪The gradual loss of the French colonies since 1792, the loss of control of the seas in 1805 and the establishment of the continental blockade in 1806 encouraged Napoleon’s government to define an ambitious agronomic policy for the acclimatisation of cotton to support the dynamic textile manufacturing industry. However, this project presented a number of challenges, including the rapid development of agronomic knowledge, the creation of seed supply and distribution circuits, and the teaching of cultivation methods to farmers who knew nothing about cotton. This article will show that the economic failure of the acclimatisation of cotton undertaken in France between 1807 and 1813 should not be confused with agronomic failure.‪