{"id":2487,"date":"2016-10-01T16:35:18","date_gmt":"2016-10-01T15:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ldc.com\/au\/stories-insights\/ldc-and-the-better-cotton-initiative-team-up-to-boost-sustainable-cotton-in-kazakhstan\/"},"modified":"2023-05-25T03:45:09","modified_gmt":"2023-05-25T01:45:09","slug":"ldc-and-the-better-cotton-initiative-team-up-to-boost-sustainable-cotton-in-kazakhstan","status":"publish","type":"stories-insight","link":"https:\/\/www.ldc.com\/au\/en\/stories-insights\/ldc-and-the-better-cotton-initiative-team-up-to-boost-sustainable-cotton-in-kazakhstan\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaming Up to Boost Sustainable Cotton in Kazakhstan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At first sight, the concrete and breezeblock farm buildings scattered across the Syr Darya floodplains in Central Asia have no connection with the world\u2019s finest fashion brands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet with its expansive flat and rolling plains, southern Kazakhstan was once part of the famous Silk Road and, centuries later, has become the powerhouse of Central Asia\u2019s cotton production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Today, it must transform again. Global demand for cotton is rising, and consumers are increasingly eco-conscious and informed. They want to buy products made with sustainable cotton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matching this trend, the world\u2019s fashion retailers are stepping up their efforts to source sustainable cotton. In 2017, top clothing and textile companies issued a \u201cSustainable Cotton Communiqu\u00e9<\/a>\u201d in which they committed to 100% sustainable cotton by 2025. And others are following suit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LDC has partnered with the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI)<\/a> since 2012 to achieve common goals, with joint projects in a number of cotton-producing countries over the years. In 2016, we teamed up with BCI, as an implementing partner, to run a three-year project to help farmers in Kazakhstan meet BCI\u2019s sustainability standards, which include pesticide use, water management, work conditions, record keeping, training and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"blog-better-cotton-pg02.jpg\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For Kazakh farmers, the project benefits include a more marketable product, greater productivity, lower costs of production and higher incomes, combined with reduced use of pesticides, fewer greenhouse gas emissions and less depletion of local water resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe potential is great,\u201d says Rayhan Kasymbaeva, managing the project since it began. \u201cFarmers here have a lot of agricultural knowledge and expertise, which is a good start.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"blog-better-cotton-pg01.jpg\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

State support for the agricultural sector is also strong in the region, which has grown \u201cwhite gold\u201d as far back as the fifth and sixth centuries. This is an advantage for the initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, local producers have sometimes been unsure about sustainable cotton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe see strong demand from retailers for sustainable cotton,\u201d Rayhan says. \u201cBut we still have difficulties in getting the message across to farmers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rayhan\u2019s team presents the benefits of sustainable production to farmers on small and medium-sized farms through training, raising awareness about sustainability and its commercial and social benefits, and teaching farmers useful self-assessment techniques. LDC also offers harvest machinery (cotton pickers) to the farmers at a discounted rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project is in line with LDC\u2019s purpose of fair and sustainable value creation<\/a>, and supports the UN\u2019s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) \u2013 particularly SDG1 on poverty reduction, SDG10 on reducing inequality and SDG17 on partnership for the goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is an excellent example of how sustainable practices support commercial interests and those of society as a whole,\u201d says Guy Hogge, Global Head of Sustainability at LDC. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Better Cotton Initiative: Theory of Change<\/strong>

\u2022 Calls for transformation of the cotton production sector
\u2022 Works toward sustainability in farm and market
\u2022 Contributes to increased farmer knowledge and skills, improved farming practices, and the creation of a global community that shares best practice and encourages continuous improvement.
\u2022 Contributes to optimize input use, farm productivity, enhanced water quality, soil health and biodiversity, improved labor conditions, health and safety for farmers, workers and their families.

For more information, visit https:\/\/bettercotton.org<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At first sight, the concrete and breezeblock farm buildings scattered across the Syr Darya floodplains in Central Asia have no connection with the world\u2019s finest fashion brands. Yet with its expansive flat and rolling plains, southern Kazakhstan was once part of the famous Silk Road and, centuries later, has become the powerhouse of Central Asia\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5497,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[87],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2487","stories-insight","type-stories-insight","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-field"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTeaming Up to Boost Sustainable Cotton in Kazakhstan || Louis Dreyfus Company<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In 2016, LDC partnered with the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) on a three-year project to help farmers in Kazakhstan meet BCI\u2019s sustainability standards.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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