Researchers and representatives of African cotton companies including AbTF maintain Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), Cotton Made in Africa Organic (CmiA Organic), Regenerative Cotton Standard (RCS), and The Good Cashmere Standard (GCS)are meeting in Tanzania to learn ways to produce better cotton.
learn how new In the meeting they will learn from the knowledge of researchers combined with traditional knowledge and applied to soil cultivation, through a series hosted by Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) and the African Cotton Foundation (ACF) and Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF).
The Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) is a non-profit organization that aims to improve the living conditions of people in Africa by promoting environmentally friendly, sustainable, and socially responsible cotton production. One of their key initiatives is the Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) initiative, which focuses on improving the conditions of smallholder cotton farmers in sub-Saharan Africa.
Cotton made in Africa works with over 1 million smallholder farmers across several African countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Ghana, Cameroon, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. The initiative provides training to farmers on modern, efficient, and environmentally friendly farming practices, with the goal of increasing their yield and income.
Participants will join 40 representatives from the cotton industry to implement measures for sustainable agriculture and soil carbon sequestration and to discuss organic cultivation methods.
Alexandra Perschau, head of standards and outreach at the Aid by Trade Foundation, said: “Climate change and its effects threaten the livelihoods of small-scale farmers at a fundamental level through crop failures, hunger and the loss of biodiversity. We can push back by combining traditional knowledge with scientific discoveries and the latest technology to find innovative solutions for the agricultural problems of today.”
Belinda Edmonds, managing director of the African Cotton Foundation, added: “Our workshop shows that with a holistic approach, where scientific expertise meets the real challenges of cotton farmers and stakeholders, we can bridge the gap between theory and practical implementation.”
AbTF aims to strengthen African cotton farmers
