South-South cooperation for strengthening the cotton sector: Project progress
A world free from hunger and malnutrition, where food and agriculture contribute in a socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable manner to improve the standards of living for all, especially for the poorest and most vulnerable sectors of society: this is the vision of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
To achieve this, FAO has a strategic framework in which governments, civil society, the private sector and others collaborate through South-South Cooperation. This is the driving force through which the FAO acts to support the countries. Actions are carried out through the projects which contribute to an increase in incomes and improved standards of living for family farmers in the region.
An example of such is the project Strengthening the Cotton Sector through South-South Cooperation, implemented by FAO, the Government of Brazil, represented by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC for its acronym in Portuguese), along with the countries of Mercosur and associated states, and Haiti.
Throughout the next four years of the project, the objective is to strengthen the cotton sector in the member countries through actions such as technical support for sustainable production, processing and commercialization of this product, and training for farmers and technical institutes; based on the experience in Brazil.
Another aim of this project is to increase the amount of tools that facilitate the processes of South-South Cooperation and allow for progress to be made in the partner countries, among the most vulnerable populations, to improve their living standards.
This publication presents the key information about the project, including the role of the stakeholders in this initiative, such as the Brazilian Cooperating Institutions and the member countries; as well as the progress made in the regional activities.