Dr Iris Schöninger is a policy adviser in the policy department of Welthungerhilfe in Bonn. For several years she has also been working with the Advisory Committee of the ‘Cotton made in Africa’ initiative.
Dr Iris Schöninger is Senior Advisor for development policy at Welthungerhilfe in Bonn. She is an expert in value chains and business-related projects in the context of food security.
What's behind the Cotton made in Africa initiative?
Iris Schöninger: Cotton made in Africa was founded in 2005 by Dr Michael Otto, an entrepreneur from Hamburg. Cotton was once a secure source of income for farmers all over the world. Today the global market price continues to be distorted by subsidies in individual countries, primarily the USA, the European Union and China. Prices fluctuate wildly. Often more than half of the income of around 20 million African farming families depends on cotton. Currently almost 30 per cent of all smallholder cotton producers in sub-Saharan Africa are working with the Cotton made in Africa initiative.
How does the initiative work and who is involved in it?
It is currently supporting 780,000 African cotton producers and their families in ten countries. The producers are given regular training in eco-friendly farming methods to improve the quality of the cotton and increase crop yields, and thereby achieve a better level of income. Licence fees for Cotton made in Africa are reinvested in training programmes. The farmers currently produce around 320,000 tonnes of sustainable cotton a year on 1.2 million hectares of land. One goal is the establishment of a demand alliance of textile firms that have this cotton processed and pay licence fees for it. 30 companies, including Otto, Tchibo, Engelbert Strauss and Aldi Süd, are taking part. Around 20 cotton companies are working on site with the farmers, but the initiative is also advised by non-government organisations, such as Welthungerhilfe, the WWF and Naturschutzbund Deutschland (Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union Germany).
What does Cotton made in Africa stand for?
Whoever produces for Cotton made in Africa must maintain certain standards. Exploitative child labour and working conditions akin to slavery are prohibited, as are the use of pesticides that are banned internationally, genetically modified seeds and the clearing of virgin forests. Only rainwater is used for irrigation, enabling Cotton made in Africa to save more than 500 litres of water per T-shirt. And because fewer greenhouse gases are emitted than with cotton that is not produced sustainably, the climate also benefits.
Two certifiers check to ensure that the Cotton made in Africa standards are being implemented in the cotton fields according to regulations. (c) Welthungerhilfe
Welthungerhilfe is a partner from the outset. What are the main concerns?
Worldwide demand for plant and animal products is increasing. Fertile soils, adequate water, sun and the availability of workers provide the ideal conditions in many places for agricultural production, whether it's food, fodder or industrial raw materials such as cotton. Countries with insufficient food security have so far lacked the standards by which to judge whether the human right to food is being violated by the exportation of agricultural products. So the Centre for Development Research in Bonn, together with Welthungerhilfe, has developed criteria to be observed when providing certification in the future. Sustainability standards, including those for cotton from Cotton made in Africa, will have to be checked thoroughly in future with regard to the issue of food security. Companies will have to take as much responsibility for this as political decision makers, who have so far been baulking at mandatory regulations.
Dr Iris Schöninger is Senior Advisor for development policy at Welthungerhilfe in Bonn. She is an expert in value chains and business-related projects in the context of food security.
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