In 2013, a strategic partnership agreement was signed between BCI and Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), benchmarking standards. Which means CmiA can now be sold as Better Cotton, increasing the amount available in the global supply chain. After successfully completing verification, more than 2,26,000 smallholder farmers in Cameroon are for the first time growing cotton to the CmiA standard. Cotton is considered one of the main sources of income for families in rural Cameroon, and, with CmiA’s support, these families will now have the tools they need to succeed financially. Including the family members of the smallholder farmers, this expansion into Cameroon means that an additional 1.5 million people will now benefit from the program. 

Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) is an initiative of the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) that provides assistance in helping people help themselves through trade, to improve the living conditions of cotton farmers and their families in Sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, more than 6,60,000 smallholder farmers in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon participate in the CmiA program. As CmiA’s reach expands, so does the global reach of Better Cotton, providing a more sustainable future for the cotton sector as a whole.

Bettercotton