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Cultivating the future: Scaling organic cotton
Scaling OCA’s Farm Programme is essential to expanding our positive impact—bringing benefits like better incomes, secure market access, and improved farming practices to more organic cotton farmers worldwide. By reaching more farming communities, we can accelerate the shift towards a fair, transparent, and resilient organic cotton sector. A central pillar of our strategy is supporting farmers through the organic in-conversion phase—an essential but often overlooked step in the journey to certified organic production. In 2024, we deepened our efforts across multiple geographies, broadened our farmer support schemes, and piloted new initiatives to connect supply with evolving market demand.
In-Conversion: the pathway to organic
The in-conversion period is the three years in which farmers adopt organic practices before they can claim the official organic certification and its related benefits. During this phase, farmers invest in restoring soil health, managing pests ecologically, and building system resilience, often at the cost of lower yields and different input needs.
Recognising the challenges, OCA continued to prioritise farmer-first initiatives that support the transition. In 2024, the number of in-conversion farmers in our Farm Programme remained stable at around 36,000, highlighting the importance of sustained investments.
With access to secure off-take agreements, organic inputs, and training, these farmers are better equipped to make the shift. Thanks to the generous support of our donors, we’re able to offer new resources that strengthen our impact and co-fund high-quality training programmes for farmers transitioning from conventional to organic practices—a pivotal phase in their journey.
Expanding geographies
In June 2024, OCA launched its programme in Türkiye, the world’s second-largest organic cotton producer. Focusing on the cotton-rich regions of South-Eastern Anatolia and the Aegean Region, we adapted our methodologies to local farming practices and economic context. In this first year, five projects were launched involving 78 farmers and 3,040 hectares, supported by upfront procurement agreements and premium payments.
Our presence in Pakistan grew through close collaboration with farmers, industry partners, and civils society organisations. We worked with approximately 1,300 farmers, providing them with technical support and market access.
Hear from our Contributors
Virginie Cayzeele
Raw Materials leader
KIABI
