Timberland will reintroduce cotton as an anchor crop in Haiti. The project will revitalise over 17,000 farms, while adding to the economy and contributing positively to the environment as it plans to plant millions of trees.

Cotton was once the fourth largest agricultural export from Haiti before it disappeared by the late 1980s. Its demise was due largely to external pressures and internal politics.

Cotton varieties from Brazil, India and the United States have been planted, with a Haitian cotton strain. The aim is to enable 34,000 farmers from 17,000 farms to double their current income, plant at least 25 million trees and connect farmers to the global cotton market. The project is also expected to increase crop yields for local consumption and provide microloans, professional training and leadership initiatives for female farmers.

Timberland has already planted more than 6.5 million trees. It plans to purchase up to one-third of Haiti’s annual cotton supply. Timberland is a global outdoor lifestyle brand. It supports the people of Haiti following a five-year tree-planting effort to help smallholder farmers reach self-sufficiency. Timberland hopes to transition from being a supporter of smallholder farmers to purchasing cotton from them for the brand’s supply chain.