OCA: brands must invest in in-conversion cotton
The Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) has published Organic Cotton’s Time Has Come, its impact report for the 2022-2023 cotton season.
It reports a strong surge in farmers’ adoption of organic cotton in India and Pakistan, accompanied by increasing interest in Turkey, where OCA plans to extend its efforts.
The Farm Programme mobilised 16 brand partners and 13 implementing partners - organisations that provide local support, knowledge and capacity building.
Over 70,000 farmers participated in OCA’s Farm Programme during the 2022-2023 season, harvesting cotton across over 91,000 hectares of farmland.
Around half of these are in-conversion farmers who are transitioning to certified organic farming, a process that takes up to three years. While this number is extremely encouraging for the growth of the sector, the report also shows that less in-conversion cotton has been procured than expected. OCA’s goal is to align the procurement rate of in-conversion cotton, 75%, with that of certified organic cotton, which is 84%. The clearest course of action for brands to bolster the organic cotton supply is to buy in-conversion cotton, it said.
OCA’s Farm Programme is a framework which provides more certainty for farmers in a volatile market. By securing commitments from global brands, OCA prioritises farmers’ financial stability and improves their access to training and inputs, contributing to their resilience and livelihoods. Last year, farmers in OCA’s programme received an average of 7% on top of the market price for their cotton. In total, over €4.2M was paid to farmers in premiums in the 2022-2023 season.
OCA is currently creating a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) dashboard. This tool will empower brands to report greenhouse gas reductions at the regional level in India. OCA is also implementing a trial for biodiversity monitoring, to further demonstrate the effect of organic farming practices on biodiversity.
At the social level, the organisation is developing a Decent Work strategy, to be launched later this year.
