Cotton made in Africa Develops Environmental Action Plan
November 16, 2011 Smallholder cotton farmers in Africa now have a footprint to follow with the help of Cotton made in Africa’s Environmental Action Plan.
The Aid in Trade Foundation, a German-run organization that works to stimulate demand for cotton and improve living conditions of smallholder cotton farmers in Africa, developed the Cotton made in Africa branding initiative.
The plan outlines five categories by which cotton farmers can reduce their environmental impact including agrochemicals, soil fertility and erosion, water, biodiversity and general topics. The group’s plan outlines specific goals for both Zambia and Burkina Faso.
In an effort to decrease top soil erosion in Zambia, CmiA plans to launch mulching and conservation farming and install anti-erosion strips on 270 hectares of land in Burkina Faso. The organization also plans to circulate 150,000 ULV sprayers with smallholder farmers. This will help reduce water used in pesticide applications and stem leeching of agrochemicals into the ground and surface water, it said.
CmiA has published a list of pesticides and agrochemicals that have been banned under the Stockholm Convention and the World Health Organization and is working to reduce the presence of highly toxic pesticides, according to the Environmental Action Plan.
To maintain biodiversity, the plan’s guidelines include a minimum three-crop rotation through the education of 200,000 farmers.
CmiA aims to increase transparency about its work in Africa through the release of its environmental guidelines, the organization said. It plans to increase smallholder farmer’s ability for medium- and long-term environmental planning, create incentives for smallholders to adapt environmentally friendly farming practices and show ecological benefits of CmiA cotton compared to standard cotton.
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