EXCLUSIVE Q&A: Organic Cotton Accelerator director says Pakistan has “huge potential”

In an exclusive Q&A, OCA's executive director Bart Vollaard, talks to Just Style about the importance of expanding the organic cotton farming programme into Pakistan, how the pandemic has affected cotton farmers and the threat of genetically modified (GM) cotton seeds. The multi-stakeholder organisation says it is committed to bringing integrity, supply security, and measurable social and environmental impact to the organic cotton supply chain and its Farm Programme Impact report outlines the business case for why farmers should be growing organic cotton. With as many as 80,000 farmer participants in the cotton season of 2021/22, the OCA is pleased with the ‘enormous growth’ in terms of the number of farmers joining its programme and claims these farmers earn, on average, 21% more in net profit from their cotton per hectare than local non-organic peers. What impact has Covid had on cotton growers and how is it affecting them now? “The pandemic has taken lives and livelihoods across the world, and the devastating impact on human life has been felt in India with losses across communities. Currently we are seeing Covid restrictions gradually being removed, and conditions improve, but we continue to keep an eye on global developments and remain in close contact with our partners. For organic cotton growers, the current situation is almost the opposite compared to the situation at the onset of the pandemic in 2020. The big economic uncertainty at the time and major disruptions in the supply chain have made for a year of record prices for cotton growers, and organic cotton farmers are no exception. As life goes back to the old normal, there are certain initiatives we implemented during the pandemic that are here to stay. These include digital support towards the training of field teams of our Implementing Partners and verification by our third-party agencies, pre-financed seed to farmers, and further extension of our Farm Programme to include supporting farmers converting from conventional to organic. What remains important is the continuity of our farm level Programmes and long-term commitments to farmers, farm groups and their communities through our dedicated contributor base.” Why is the OCA's new collaboration with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) so valuable? “We recognise the change we need to make in the organic cotton sector really requires all players to work together at every level. At OCA we convene the sector by championing collaboration across the supply chain, from farm to fashion. Looking at the larger picture, this same collaborative approach is needed with organisations outside of the (organic) cotton sector to make positive progress in sustainability and tackle the impact of global issues of biodiversity loss and climate change. Organic agriculture has a key role to play in the major topics of our time. We see it acting as a catalyst for a sustainable fashion sector. So, we have two distinct aims in mind. First, we want to make sure we bring the relevance and benefits of organic farming and cotton as a natural fibre to these discussions, such as showcasing the benefits of organic in the field of climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation. Secondly, we know we need to keep up as a sector, for example in terms of the new measurement frameworks and greenhouse gas emission accounting, to continue demonstrating the relevance of organic in those areas. This will enable us to foster more support for the growth of the sector, with the aim to translate that support into tangible benefits for the smallholder farmers who grow organically. With organic cotton being only 1% of all cotton produced but demand growing rapidly, we know that success cannot happen alone, and it won’t happen overnight. As a sector, we need to be inclusive and create alignment to drive the innovation and interventions needed to strengthen and grow the organic cotton industry.” What are your thoughts on Bayer's plan to introduce GM cotton seeds in India? “As the agrochemical industry continues to invest in the next generation of genetically modified seed, investment is required to continue developments and innovation in the organic sector as well. OCA is doing its part, for example through Seeding the Green Future (SGF), India’s leading organic cotton breeding programme. SGF is led by the Research Institute for Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in collaboration with local Indian partners, and increases the availability of non-GM cotton seeds of improved varieties to thousands of farmers striving to pursue organic cotton cultivation. Partly funded by OCA, the programme has achieved significant growth and progress, and recently won the SFIAR 2021 Team Award. We know how important it is to partner with seed producers in strengthening the purity of non-genetically engineered cottonseed marketed to farmers using our non-GM cottonseed production guidelines, specifically developed for that purpose. This helps organic cotton farmers in our Farm Programme receive reliable cottonseed which in turns improves the integrity of the value chain, from seed to shirt.” Can you tell us about OCA’s plans to expand into Pakistan? “Our aim was always to grow the impact of our work and expand our Farm Programme into other territories where it could make a difference. We are encouraged by the success of our initial years in India. Our programmes have been able to demonstrate and improve the business case for organic cotton farming and witnessed incredible growth in farmer numbers. We are excited to now take the first steps into Pakistan and we got the ball rolling with some preparational pilot work last year. There is huge potential for the organic cotton sector in Pakistan, and we are witnessing lots of positive energy and support from key industry partners in the country to build up domestic organic cotton production and invest in the enabling environment required for a healthy organic sector. At OCA we have been working on adapting our programmes to the national reality in Pakistan and addressing the most pressing needs and opportunities with the support of national and international specialists in the field of agriculture and cotton trade. We have piloted our Farm Programme approach and third-party verification system over the past season with the full support of our local partners to inform the required adaptations of our methods and lay the groundworks for transparent reporting and feedback to accelerate improvements. We are currently building the team in Pakistan and believe that we have an excellent base to start from given the strong spirit of collaboration we have experienced from our enthusiastic partners in the country.” What's the biggest change you've seen since joining OCA six years ago? “One of the main reasons we are here, is to make the business case for organic cotton farmers. Making it competitive compared to conventional farming. I am proud to say that for four years in a row, the farmers participating in our programmes got a higher net profit out of one hectare of land for their cotton when compared to conventional farmers. That’s partly because of the lower cost of production, but also because of the secure offtake and the payment of a premium price to the farmers in our programme. OCA ensured its farmers earned 21% more on average than conventional (non-organic) local farmers in 2020/21. This continues the trend of sustained higher income for organic farmers within our Farm Programme since its start in 2017. During the 2020/21 season, we worked with nearly 22,000 farmers and paid out nearly EUR1.7m (US$1.8m) in annual premium payments. I'm encouraged to say that this season, we are working with nearly 80,000 farmers, consisting of existing organic and in-conversion farmers, an increase of 350%. Almost 30% of these farmers are converting from conventional to organic farming, a journey often taking three years, which further shows the desire to go organic in the farming community. We can continue to accelerate changes that benefit farmers, their land, and the environment due to the long-term commitment of our industry partners, brand and retailers, suppliers and manufacturers and donors across the sector. Investing at the source point of organic cotton growing is key alongside adaptive support that continues to put the farmer first." The OCA recently partnered with the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles to create a new multi-stakeholder partnership called Organic Cotton in India to help improve transparency throughout the organic cotton supply chain.