Apparel Online India Magazine May 1st Issue 2018 | Page 15

SUSTAINABILITY
stakeholders around a common
agenda for organic cotton,
catalysing action and co-ordinating
investments at both the supply and
demand ends of the organic cotton
supply chain. Apart from C&A the
OCA includes brands such as H&M,
Eileen Fisher, Tchibo, Inditex to
name a few.
But nowhere has this work been more
important than in India, specifically
in Madhya Pradesh. India is the
largest organic cotton producing
country in the world and over 40 per
cent of the total agricultural land
under organic cultivation in India
is in Madhya Pradesh. The state is
home to marginal and tribal farmers
who produce nearly 24 per cent of
the world’s organic cotton. With this
global importance, it is no wonder
that the state has been proactive
in setting a policy framework that
supports the promotion of organic
cultivation, launching the State Policy
on Organic Farming in Madhya
Pradesh in 2011.
Since 2014, C&A Foundation has
been supporting cotton farmers in
Madhya Pradesh to introduce organic
agricultural practises in collaboration
with four dedicated partners – Action
for Social Advancement, Aga Khan
Foundation, CottonConnect and
WWF-India. It has invested over
EUR 5 million to support over 25,000
smallholder cotton farmers in the
state. In 2016-17, C&A Foundation
partners reported on an aggregate
that farmers in the programs have
seen an income increase of over 20
per cent as compared to conventional
farmers in the same areas, thanks
to over 35 per cent decrease in
production cost. This even when after
three years, organic cotton yields
remain 15 per cent lower than that of
conventional cotton.
Anita Chester, Head of Sustainable
Raw Materials for C&A Foundation
explains the organisation’s approach:
“Farmers are at the heart of our
program and our partners work hard
to build resilience in the communities
by helping them choose organic
over conventional. In scaling this
momentum and addressing barriers
jointly we have seen the strength of
collaboration: of people, organizations
and the State Government working
together.”
In addition to direct farmer support,
the Foundation has also supported
farmers to unite into collectives to
create an enabling environment for
organic cotton cultivation. Ashis
Mondal, Founder and Managing
Director of C&A Foundation Partner,
Action for Social Advancement
(ASA) explains: “The true value of
organic cotton will only be unlocked
when farmers are truly integrated in
the supply chain. This can happen
through the power of collectives such
as farmer producer companies. With
support from C&A Foundation we
have been able to attract others who
have now joined us in this journey.
In the coming years ASA plans to
engage 25,000 organic cotton farmers
in Madhya Pradesh and create a
federation of these farmers who will
be the torchbearers for the industry
and the st