Uganda joins Cotton made in Africa initiative

After Cameroon, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia, Uganda is the ninth country to support sustainable cotton farming through Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), an initiative by the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF).

Around Ugandan 5,400 smallholder farmers, verified by the Western Uganda Cotton Company (WUCC), are now part of CmiA, the largest cotton initiative in Africa. Because about 80 percent of Uganda's population works in agriculture, cotton is one of the main sources of income in the country's rural regions. Through sustainable cotton farming that extends to people and the environment, Cotton made in Africa wants to improve the living conditions of Uganda's smallholder farmers and their families and thus contributes significantly towards the fight against poverty and offering a reliable livelihood.

In practice, this means regular training on agricultural and business topics for the farmers, reliable contracts and prompt payment for their cotton harvest. With its market-oriented approach, the foundation also aims at improving the competitiveness of cotton from Uganda.

"We are delighted to be able to cooperate with smallholder farmers from Uganda and to assist them with training as well as the creation of a demand alliance for their cotton with the CmiA seal. This benefits local people and is a considerable success for our foundation with Uganda becoming the ninth country from Sub-Saharan Africa where we are actively supporting sustainable cotton farming and the rights of local farmers," explains Tina Stridde, the Foundation's managing director.

In the future, production in Uganda will even go a step further and include finished products: cotton and textiles made in Africa through cooperation with the recently founded company Fine Spinners, Uganda's first fully integrated textile company. Here, CmiA cotton is expected to form the basis for fully integrated textile production from the cotton field to the final product.