Social engagement

”It was a fantastic experience to meet and learn from the farmers what sustainable cotton growing means”

There is a focus on a more sustainable production of materials for the garment industry. Cotton is one of the resources where there are many challenges to overcome. To ensure supply, we must work together to train and help cotton producers make the transition from traditional cultivation methods to more sustainable practices. This is precisely what the “Cotton made in Africa” (CmiA) initiative does.

CmiA is an Aid by Trade Foundation initiative that was established in 2005. Its objective is to help smallholder farmers help themselves through trade and to improve the social, ecological and economic living conditions of smallholder cotton producers and their families in Sub-Saharan Africa.

To put this aim into practice, an alliance of international textile companies built up by CmiA buys the sustainably grown cotton, integrates it into its textile value chains and pays a license fee to the foundation. Today there are more than 30 brands and retailers participating in CmiA. More than one million smallholder farmers (of which 17% are female farmers) and some 11,000 factory workers in the so-called cotton ginneries are currently part of the CmiA program. CmiA is active in Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania and Uganda.

In October 2017, a group of CmiA retailers, brands and partners traveled to Uganda to meet cotton farmers in the CmiA growing regions of Uganda. The group met African cotton farmers, learned from them how to grow sustainable cotton, listened to a female farmers group who presented projects they initiated as a group and observed how the cotton is ginned and processed to textiles. One of the participants was Nilorn Germany’s Managing Director Mr Simon Leppich.

Simon says: ”It was a fantastic experience to meet and learn from the farmers what sustainable cotton growing means and that we, during our visit to Uganda, could follow the textile value chain from cultivation of cotton to textiles made in Africa.”

The cotton farmers involved in CmiA work exclusively in smallholder structures. Education is one of the most important requirements for improving the living conditions of African cotton farmers and combating causes of migration. Therefore, CmiA puts a focus on training the participating cotton farmers in business and agriculture. The farmer trainings established by CmiA support the farmers in implementing the CmiA sustainability criteria. In the so-called farmer business schools participants learn a great deal about efficient and sustainable farming methods. As a consequence, it enables them to increase yields and thereby income. The CmiA-trainings not only convey knowledge about how to manage a cotton farm more economically and more environmentally friendly, but also raise awareness among the rural population for topics such as child labour. The participating smallholder farmers gain an understanding about why their children should go to school instead of doing demanding work on the farm that is harmful for them. They learn that good schooling helps the entire family in the long run.

Nilorn is a partner of CmiA and we provide all standard CmiA hangtags and woven labels.

Read more at: www.cottonmadeinafrica.org