Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) and the African Cotton Foundation (ACF) have teamed up to promote socially and ecologically sustainable cotton cultivation.
The partnership, according to the nonprofits, is planned to encompass support for training and for other implementation measures conducted by cotton companies in CmiA’s project countries.
CmiA said in a statement that the measures will be coordinated by the ACF and implemented by the cotton companies.
In Africa, cotton, which plays a vital role in the African economy, is almost exclusively grown by smallholder farmers.
Cotton is both a significant export crop as well as a fiber extensively used in the domestic textile industry.
However, large-scale agricultural cultivation of cotton threatens biodiversity in its environment as it is commonly characterised by monocultures, the heavy use of pesticides, and high-water consumption levels.
‘Sharing agricultural knowledge with small-scale farmers through workshops and training is a key priority for Cotton made in Africa’, Aid by Trade Foundation Managing Director, Tina Stridde, said.
‘In the African Cotton Foundation, we were able to win a partner who has become firmly established in the African cotton sector by uniting and pooling the forces of many actors who are especially committed to sustainability.
‘We are happy to be able to count on this partner’s competence and support with the implementation of our goals, allowing us to continue successfully improving the living conditions of hundreds of thousands of small-scale farmers and making cotton cultivation in Africa more socially and environmentally sustainable’.
Also speaking, Managing Director of ACF, Belinda Edmonds, said the goals of both organisations were perfectly complementary.
Edmonds said that ACF was working to develop a prosperous, modern, and sustainable cotton sector in Africa.
‘Together, we want to ensure that cotton growing is profitable, the environment is protected, the communities grow stronger, and human rights are respected’, she added.
Source: Cotton made in Africa
Photo source: Cotton made in Africa
