Towards a regenerative cotton future: a partnership case study

Regenerative agriculture is a holistic, outcome-based farming approach that emphasizes practices aimed at enhancing soil health, fostering biodiversity, improving water efficiency, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This approach also supports farmers in diversifying their incomes and becoming more resilient to climate change. In the cotton industry, regenerative sourcing has demonstrated significant promise, with initial pilot programs indicating the potential for transformative impact. 

Through a series of events, Innovation Forum showcased CottonConnect’s successful regenerative cotton farming programme in Gujarat, India. These events highlighted CottonConnect’s journey, best practices, and lessons learned; and explored the potential for scaling such programmes to a broader landscape level.

Film: Regenerative cotton – A supply chain revolution in the making? 

In January 2024, Innovation Forum’s Toby Webb and Mallen Baker travelled to Gujarat, India, to produce a documentary exploring the the area’s cotton value chain. The film highlights CottonConnect's regenerative farming initiatives with smallholder farmers, focusing on farmer-centric approaches to promoting regenerative agriculture, emphasising farmer prosperity, animal welfare, and climate resilience. The documentary traces the journey of cotton from farm to processing, showcasing how CottonConnect uses traceability technology to distinguish regenerative cotton.

Webinar: The future of cotton farming: scaling regenerative sourcing 

To further explore aspects of this in more detail, CottonConnect and Innovation Forum hosted a webinar on June 6th 2024. The event featured a moderated panel discussion with CottonConnect’s Alison Ward (CEO), Parkash Philip (global director, strategy and impact), and Hardeep Desai (global head of farm programmes). The panel discussed ongoing challenges in the cotton industry and explored the solutions and opportunities presented by regenerative agriculture.  

 

Using CottonConnect's work with cotton farmers in Gujarat as a case study, the panel discussed holistic strategies for making agricultural systems climate resilient and emphasising the importance of effective collaboration with local partners to implement regenerative programs.

Workshops: The future of regenerative cotton farming 

To continue the discussions sparked by the documentary and webinar, CottonConnect and Innovation Forum hosted two closed-door workshops at IF’s Sustainable Apparel and Textiles conferences in Amsterdam (April 2024) and New York City (June 2024). These events brought together key stakeholders focused on sustainable sourcing in the fashion and textiles value chain. 

 

In this closed-door setting, participants engaged in in-depth and candid conversations about the implications of legislation and consumer preferences on scaling impact. They also tackled the challenges of collecting data and measuring progress in soil health, biodiversity, as well as ensuring the continuation of long-term sustainable practices amongst farming communities beyond the program.

To learn more about CottonConnect's work click here.  

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