Bogotá, October 31, 2024 – With the goal of improving the competitiveness of Colombian family cotton farming, benefiting 1,200 farming families, the governments of Brazil and Colombia and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) signed the second phase of the +Cotton Colombia project.

The continuation of the alliance, which will extend until 2026, was celebrated on Wednesday, the 30th, as part of the COP16 on Biodiversity held in Cali, Colombia.

The +Cotton Colombia project is jointly developed by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ABC/MRE), FAO, and Colombia’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Minagricultura) under the Brazil-FAO International Cooperation Program. The first phase began in 2017.

The signing ceremony included the Brazilian ambassador to Colombia, Paulo Estivallet de Mesquita; the Minister of Minagricultura, Martha Carvajalino; and FAO's representative in Colombia, Agustín Zimmermann.

This trilateral South-South cooperation initiative aims to boost the cotton value chain and improve the sector's competitiveness in the Interior Zone, Caribbean, and Orinoquía regions through the adoption of best practices and new technologies, strengthening technical, institutional, and organizational capacities of actors in Colombia's cotton chain.

Phase 2 will include financial resources of approximately 200,000 dollars and technical assistance from the Brazilian government, along with an additional contribution of about 200,000 dollars from the Colombian government, through the project ‘Support for Strengthening the Colombian Cotton Subsector by Improving the Competitiveness of Sustainable Production Systems,’ in collaboration with FAO. This initiative represents a joint effort to boost the national cotton sector through knowledge and value addition to cotton, as well as the pursuit of cotton certification.

Strengthening Productive Capacity

In the first half of this year, 16 Demonstration Units for Cotton Cultivation were established in the departments of Tolima and Huila. In the second half of 2024, 52 additional units are planned for Córdoba, Sucre, Magdalena, and Guajira, thus enhancing the dissemination of technologies and knowledge to expand productive capacity and profitability in key cotton-growing regions.

The +Cotton Colombia project has multiple institutional partners from Brazil and Colombia who exchange experiences, share best practices, and provide technical guidance to the farmers supported by the project.

On the Brazilian side, the cooperating institutions include the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), the Brazilian Association of Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (ASBRAER), the Paraíba State Company for Rural Extension and Land Regularization (EMPAER-PB), and the Brazilian Association of Cotton Producers (ABRAPA).

On the Colombian side, cooperating entities include the Colombian Agricultural Research Corporation (AGROSAVIA), the National Training Service (SENA), the Colombian Cotton Confederation (CONALGODON), PROCOLOMBIA, Colombia Productiva, and the Presidential Agency for International Cooperation (APC-Colombia) as a partner.

Colombian cotton, known as “white gold,” is a source of income and employment, especially for small-scale farms. The first phase of the project achieved significant progress in terms of profitability, quality, and repositioning cotton on the public and private policy agenda, prioritizing its value chain in national and regional development plans. These results were highlighted during the program “Caminhos da Reportagem” on TV Brasil, aired on October 7, the date marking World Cotton Day. For 15 days, a Brazilian TV crew traveled from desert areas to the Colombian coast.

Thanks to Brazilian cooperation and FAO, Colombia has advanced in the recovery of endemic materials, strengthening cotton chain actors, and promoting technologies that have transformed the cotton sector.

Planting Sustainability

+Cotton is based on technical support for small-scale and family farmers through a model that integrates cotton cultivation with other crops and livelihoods that support sustainable production.

The use of bio-based inputs, crop rotation and association, and the application of existing technical and human resources in each region facilitate reducing the environmental impact, transitioning to more efficient and sustainable agro-food and production systems from economic, environmental, and social perspectives.

The improvement of seed supply adapted to agroclimatic requirements and the recovery of endemic materials in indigenous areas where +Cotton cooperation is active aim to integrate rural production systems and biodiversity, as solutions to the main interconnected challenges faced by people and the planet: climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, food insecurity, and poverty.

Weaving South-South Cooperation Ties

To advance the opening of new markets, the project has implemented measures to improve coordination, add value, and strengthen chain actors in terms of quality and certification.

In this second phase, one of the main objectives is achieving certification of sustainable Colombian cotton, for which progress has been made in a public-private alliance with the industry (CONALGODON), businesses represented by the National Association of Industries (ANDI), and government entities such as Colombia Productiva, PROCOLOMBIA, and ICA. The certification working group also includes the Global Compact, SENA, Cormoda, some regional universities, and groups of designers and artisans.

“We celebrate this alliance and are convinced that, with its consolidation, we will contribute to the creation of strategic public-private partnerships around the chain, strengthening the association among producers in support of family farming, and generating opportunities for inclusive market access for Colombian cotton,” said Zimmermann.