DAY 1
Better Cotton Conference 2023
Climate Action
The climate crisis is impacting farmers now. Urgent action is required to mitigate further damage.
This theme highlighted the real-world impact of global warming on the world’s cotton farmers. Together, we put into focus the need for collaboration, data-backed solutions and carbon finance projects to support farming communities in the face of extreme weather events.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Nisha Onta, WOCAN
Inclusive Climate Action: Moving Beyond Commitments to Action & Impact Measurements
Collaboration and impact measurement imperative to driving change.
With everybody experiencing excessive heat, we know the urgency of the climate crisis. Collaboration and data will be two pieces of the puzzle to solve this issue. To effectively collaborate, women and minorities at field-level need to be factored in on the decision-making processes to ensure they can align with retail and brand targets. Regarding data, impact measurement will be fundamental to recognising improvements and challenge areas. Even for farmers, these insights can help influence sustainable transitions that can reap environmental and social rewards.
Climate Action Sessions:
|
SESSION |
SPEAKERS |
|---|---|
|
Farmers on The Frontline: Building Climate Resilience |
• Surekha Desale / Indian Farmer |
|
Moving the Climate Change Mitigation Agenda Forward: Are Supply Chain Actors Doing Enough? |
• Yazmin Leon / Global Carbon Manager, ECOM |
|
Making Carbon Finance Projects Work for Farmers |
• Laila Petrie / CEO, 2050• Maria Kjaer / Sustainable Livelihoods Manager, Better Cotton |
Photo credit: Better Cotton / Dennis Bouman
Photo credit: Better Cotton / Dennis Bouman
Photo credit: Better Cotton / Carlotta Cataldi
Photo credit: Better Cotton / Carlotta Cataldi
Livelihoods
The cotton sector must make providing a living income and increasing farmer wellbeing an immediate priority.
There is not only a moral case, but a business and a legal case for ensuring that cotton farmers have income and social security. However, achieving this is a complex challenge that requires not only changes to purchasing but also upstream investment, collective action and collaboration throughout the supply chain and across sectors.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Antonie Fountain, VOICE Network
Living Income is a Human Right: Lessons Learned from the Cocoa Industry
Living income is the right thing to do, the smart thing to do, and will soon be the only legal thing to do.
Living income will enable us to deal with other challenges such as climate action and gender equality much more easily, and within the next 3-5 years it will soon become a compliance issue for companies. In order to move towards living income, we need to move away from focusing on agricultural practices and look at governance and purchasing practices.
Sustainable Livelihoods Sessions:
|
SESSION |
SPEAKER |
|---|---|
|
Deconstructing Living Income |
• Ashlee Tuttleman / Senior Innovation Manager, Smallholder Sourcing & Services, IDH |
|
Insights from the Field: A Voice from Mozambique |
• Julia Felipe, Mozambique Field Facilitator |
|
Communities’ Wellbeing and Sustainable Livelihoods |
• Jyoti Macwan / Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) |
|
Enhancing Wellbeing: A Cross-Sectoral Effort |
• Kainat Panhwer / Women Entrepreneur Facilitator, Pakistan, CABI |
Photo credit: Better Cotton / Dennis Bouman
Photo credit: Better Cotton / Dennis Bouman
Photo credit: Better Cotton / Carlotta Cataldi
Photo credit: Better Cotton / Carlotta Cataldi
Conference Day 2
Explore further the themes 'Data and Traceability' and 'Regenerative Agriculture' that the speakers explored during Day 1 of the Better Cotton Conference 2023.
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