BRASÍLIA – Organic cotton production in Brazil has been given a boost with a new project which will support around 800 farming families in organic production and accreditation. At present, less than 0.1 per cent of cotton production in Brazil is organic, and the new Cotton in Organic Farming Consortium initiative will be hoping to change that picture in seven Brazilian states over the next two years.
C&A Foundation is supporting the initiative along with the NGO Diaconia, Embrapa Algodão and the Fedeal University of Sergipe (UFS). Cotton farming is an important source of income for producers in these regions, and a shift to organic farming is viewed as an opportunity to improve the lives of the farmers in Brazil.
According to agricultural engineer Fábio Santiago, coordinator of the action for the NGO Diaconia, the aim of the initiative is to reinforce management of the Participatory Conformity Assessment Bodies (OPACs) – associations representing the families of farmers certified to issue the organic product seal – thereby increasing the movement to include new families and encourage the organic production of produce.
“Most of the families included in the project are led by women. They started to participate more in the actions and to become more interested in acquiring new knowledge, which increases the family income, improving quality of life,” said Maria de Fatima da Conceição Sousa, representative of the Association of Organic Farming Producers of the semi-arid region of Piauí.
“The C&A Foundation works to make the fashion industry fairer and more sustainable. In doing so, we support projects that help us achieve that goal. Organic cotton generates income and the opportunity to improve quality of life for these producers. Growing it does not use pesticides and it consumes fewer water resources,” said Luciana Pereira, the C&A Foundation’s sustainable raw materials manager in Brazil
