PR AbTF | Focus on Biodiversity in Fight Against Effects of Climate Change
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Small-Scale Farmers in Africa Increasing Focus on Biodiversity in Fight Against Effects of Climate Change
Hamburg, 2024-09-30. How much of an impact is climate change having on Africa’s biodiversity? How is it damaging agriculture? To answer these questions, Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), the internationally recognised standard for sustainably produced cotton, worked together with the Zambia Agriculture Research Institute to survey the people whose very existence is under threat by climate change: cotton farmers in Zambia. Beyond observing how the consequences of climate change threaten their work and lives, the survey shows that they also know that there are ways to counteract these consequences effectively.
The loss of biodiversity and the effects of climate change are currently taking a serious toll on cotton cultivation south of the Sahara. But how are the people actually growing the cotton affected? Cotton made in Africa is actively committed to the preservation and promotion of biodiversity in African cotton-growing areas. As part of these efforts, the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF), which is the organisation behind CmiA, held group discussions with farmers in Zambia to examine where they are seeing ecological changes and what measures they are taking in response. “The discussions focussed on addressing challenges and solutions together with farmers in Zambia,” says Nina Schöttle, the project manager for monitoring and evaluation, adding, “Our overall goals are to stop the decline in biodiversity and to increase the resilience of small-scale farmers in Africa through comprehensive measures that actively involve people in the growing regions.”
African Small-Scale Farmers Report on Declining Biodiversity and Its Consequences
According to the recent survey, the loss of biodiversity is clearly noticeable in rural Africa. Deforestation, poaching, and the expansion of settlements have severely affected many wild animals, even leading to the extinction of some species, and fuelled many conflicts between humans and wildlife; the survey also reports a problematic water shortage in the rivers. In the discussion groups, farmers describe the various methods they use to observe changes in the fields and the environment. For example, the lack of certain fungi in the forests indicates that biodiversity has decreased. Changes in soil structure and colour also indicate poorer soil quality, and the proliferation of certain weeds, such as witchweed and ragwort, is an indication of changes in the biological balance. They also observed climatic fluctuations, such as unusually high or low temperatures and irregular precipitation patterns.
In discussions with local farmers, it became clear how declining biodiversity influences their fields. Soil fertility is decreasing, which has led to lower yields. In the past, good results could be achieved without fertilisers, but today this is more challenging. Bush fires and the use of herbicides have reduced the presence of useful soil organisms such as earthworms, which help to break down organic material.
Measures to Promote Biodiversity
The small-scale farmers involved in the six group discussions clearly made the point that the way in which their cotton fields are managed has a significant impact on soil health and biodiversity in their surroundings. This is why small-scale farmers use crop rotation or integrated pest management for their fields in addition to limiting the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides to a minimum and substituting organic alternatives whenever possible. To conserve soil quality, they avoid tillage, and to increase it, they apply compost and organic fertilisers such as cow manure.
The promotion of sustainable practices for more climate and environmental protection in agriculture has been enshrined in the Cotton made in Africa standard for many years, and these values are shared with small-scale farmers through regular training courses. Through these and similar training programmes, CmiA primarily aims to increase small-scale farmers’ resilience against the effects of climate change and to improve their livelihoods in the long term.
The survey was carried out in July 2024 by the Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI), in co-operation with the Aid by Trade Foundation, through six focus groups in Zambia. The group of CmiA small-scale farmers consisted of 46 percent men and 54 percent women; of this total, 66 percent have lived in the area since birth and 34 percent for 10 to 20 years.
Yours sincerely,
Holger Diedrich
Press Contact
Aid by Trade Foundation | Gurlittstraße 14 | 20099 Hamburg | Germany
MAIL holger.diedrich@abt-foundation.org
About Cotton made in Africa
The Cotton made in Africa initiative (CmiA) was founded in 2005 under the umbrella of the Hamburg-based Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF). CmiA is an internationally recognised standard for sustainably produced cotton from Africa, connecting African small-scale farmers with trading companies and fashion brands throughout the global textile value chain. The initiative’s objective is to employ trade, rather than donations, to protect the environment and to improve the living conditions of small-scale farmers and their families. Apart from the farming families, people working in ginneries also benefit from improved working conditions. Additional projects addressing schooling, health, environmental protection, and women’s empowerment contribute to better living conditions in farming communities as well. Learn more at: cottonmadeinafrica.org/en
About the Aid by Trade Foundation
Founded in 2005, the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) is an internationally renowned non-profit organisation that works throughout the world to promote sustainable raw materials. Its activities make a decisive and measurable contribution to improving the living conditions of people and animals while protecting the environment. AbTF takes a practical approach by creating and maintaining a variety of standards to verify raw materials: Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), Cotton made in Africa Organic (CmiA Organic), Regenerative Cotton Standard (RCS), and The Good Cashmere Standard (GCS). A global alliance of textile companies and brands purchases the verified raw materials, paying a licensing fee to AbTF’s marketing company, ATAKORA Fördergesellschaft GmbH. The payment of this fee entitles partners to sell their goods under the standards’ labels. As the challenges facing textile companies and small-scale farmers grow, the standards have a major role to play in ensuring their resilience and future viability. AbTF collaborates closely with industry experts and with specialists in animal and nature protection. Learn more at: www.aidbytrade.org
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