The Partnership Initiative was created through a strategic collaboration between the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles (PST, now Dialogue and Impact for Sustainable Textiles – DST), the GIZ Global Programme Sustainability and Value Added in Agricultural Supply Chains and the Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) and is financially supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The initiative ran from 2021 until 2025 and was established to support smallholder cotton farmers in India during the transition from conventional to organic cotton production while improving market access, strengthening decent work awareness and building more transparent and economically viable supply chain linkages.
Making the transition to organic cotton possible
Cotton is the second-most important fiber globally in terms of volume (Textile Exchange 2025), of which the majority is produced in India, China, USA, Brazil and Pakistan. Conventional cotton farming poses many problems and risks to the environment as well as to farmers and workers. These include, for example, conflicts over soil erosion, as well as the use of genetically modified seeds and synthetic derived pesticides. Furthermore, the health of workers is endangered through direct contact with harmful substances due to a lack of occupational safety measures and education. Farmers converting to organic production often face substantial barriers during the transition period, including lower yields, increasing production costs and the resulting pressure on net profitability, fluctuating prices, limited access to non-GMO seed and agronomic support, and the costs and risks associated with certification requirements and the integration of decent work into programme delivery. The initiative addressed the constraints through a combination of farm-level support, supply chain coordination and market linkage.
Implementation focused on strengthening farmers’ capacity to manage the transition to organic production. Over the course of three cotton seasons, 11,500 conventional cotton farmers joined the programme. Farmers received training on organic production practices, soil health, usage of bio inputs for fertilisation and pest management, appropriate seed use and broader farm management. Demonstration plots, exposure visits and practical learning activities support complemented training, while implementation partners also provided support for non-GMO seed access and agronomic inputs and facilitation of NPOP and, where applicable, NOP certification processes.
Alongside agronomic support, the project incorporated decent work as a formal component of programme delivery. A training curriculum was developed for implementation partners and piloted through train the trainer workshops. The activities addressed topics including labour rights, occupational health and safety, working conditions and awareness of gender-related issues within cotton production in India.
Creating the business case for organic cotton
The project aimed not only to train farmers but also to strengthen the business case for transition by supporting procurement and premium flows during the conversion period. OCA played a coordinating role in linking implementing partners, Farmer Producer Organisations and participating brands, and in supporting the farm-gate procurement of seed cotton and the distribution of premiums through verified mechanisms. By the 2024-2025 cotton season, 7,758 participating farmers had converted to certified organic cotton. Across the three implementation years, 20,788 metric tones of seed cotton were procured, and 637,952€ in premium payments were distributed between 2023 and 2025. Monitoring data showed that 86% of farmers interviewed during the course of the project had received training from the implementation partners. Farm-level training, combined with practical demonstrations and exposure visits, supported the uptake of regenerative and biodiversity-related practices. Reported uptake included reduced tillage, agroforestry, integrated pest management, soil and water conservation, and crop diversification. Farmers were more likely to adopt practices associated with visible agronomic and economic benefits.
Drivers of adoption and cost trends
Premium payments, farmer health and the support services provided by implementation partners were the strongest drivers behind farmers’ movement towards organic cotton production. Environmental benefits were recognised by farmers but were generally reported as secondary motivations compared with economic incentives and direct support. Monitoring data from the 2024–25 season also showed that reduced production costs had become a more relevant factor influencing farmers’ decision to move towards organic cotton.
What makes transition work
A comparison of supported and unsupported farmers showed that supported farmers were able to maintain stronger economic performance through a combination of premium access, procurement linkage and broader programme support systems while also highlighting the importance of reliable market linkage.
The Partnership Initiative Organic Cotton is an example of how support, certification, procurement mechanisms, and collaboration across the entire supply chain can be combined to promote the expansion of organic cotton production while simultaneously addressing both agronomic and market-related barriers faced by smallholder farmers.
Throughout the full project period of three years, the Partnership Initiative was supported by the following members of the PST: Brands Fashion GmbH, C&A Mode GmbH & Co. KG, Fairtrade Deutschland e.V., Formesse GmbH & Co. KG, Global Standard gemeinnuetzige GmbH (GOTS), H&M Group, SÜDWIND Institut, s.Oliver Group, Tchibo GmbH.
Name | Partnership Initiative Organic Cotton in India |
|---|---|
Project duration | 09/2021 – 12/2025 |
Project Region | India (Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha and Gujarat) |
Target Community | 10,517 smallholder cotton farmers (Year 2); 11,363 farmers in Y1 |
Aims & Objectives | The overall goal of the Partnership Initiative was to build a fair, environmentally friendly and ecomomically viable organic cotton supply chain by working toward three objectives:
– Deliver tangible benefits to organic cotton farmers and those converting to organic farming to strengthen their business case and create the right conditions for organic cotton supply to gros (approx. 10,500 farmers)
– Facilitate the access to organic cotton and cotton in-conversion for PST memers at the farm-level and ensure their sustained and long-term demand
– Increase the amount of available organic cotton on the world market |
