Positive outlook for direct-to-farm programme
The Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA), a multi-stakeholder organisation based in Amsterdam, has released its latest report on its impacts at farm level over the 2021-2022 season. This is the sixth year of its Farm Programme that seeks to encourage Indian farmers to switch their cotton crops from conventional to organic.
As reported earlier, the number of farmers participating in the programme tripled in 2022 to 74,000 farms. This number now includes in-conversion farmers which make up a significant portion of the total (22,500). The organisation surmises that this surge is due to strong demand for organic certified cotton, lower input costs, as well as the support and training provided by OCA. The switch from conventional to organic usually takes three years, a period in which the cotton is sold as ‘in-conversion’.
A third-party validation agency has found that, during the 2021-22 season, farmers participating in OCA’s programme achieved “a higher net income from their cotton than their local conventional peers, a 6% difference.” On top of the higher market price for organic cotton, farmers within the framework also received €4.4 million in additional premiums, said OCA.
OCA said its outlook is up for the next season, 2022-2023. It plans to have 60 projects, 16 brand and retailer partners, 10 implementation partners and approximately 76,000 farmers across six Indian states, with 40,000 farmers in certified organic and 36,000 in-conversion.
The organisation also plans to extend the Farmer Programme to Pakistan following a promising pilot project during the 2021-2022 season. It said it plans to “build on the work and experiences of local partners such as WWF Pakistan, Artistic Milliners and Soorty”. See Inside Denim’s feature on building closer cotton connections to find out more about these initiatives.
Founded in 2016, OCA’s founding partners include Laudes Foundation, H&M, Kering, Eileen Fisher, Textile Exchange, Tchibo, Inditex, and C&A.
Brands and retailers who join OCA are awarded access to a supply of organic fibre, price clarity, and externally validated data about the impact of the premium they pay to farmers, said OCA.
Click here to download a copy of the report.
Image: OCA
