Introduction to the YNW project
The Yakaar Niani Wulli Federation[1], operating in the town of Koussanar (430km from Dakar) and in more than 80 surrounding villages in the region of Tambacounda, Senegal, has been producing certified organic and fair trade cotton since 2006[2] supported by the NGO Enda Pronat[3] in Dakar. The federation also produces other crops, but here we focus on cotton.
Up until recently the vast majority of certified cotton grown in Senegal has been exported as cotton grain, to be transformed elsewhere. The added value of organic and fair trade certification therefore benefits local people only at producer level, and increased income gained from an organic fair trade final product benefits foreign transformers and resellers, notably in Europe.
A pilot project is in testing phase with the aim of creating finished textile products using the cotton here in Senegal. Each step of transformation and manufacture will therefore be carried out by local people, and the marketing of the product at local level will allow awareness-raising on the concepts of organic agriculture and fair trade. Below the process used to produce textile items using this cotton, from cultivation to the finished product, is summarised. An analysis of the social and environmental benefits of organic cotton production and fair trade, as well as the limitations, is presented.
The process for this pilot project:
- Cotton is grown by farmers in the Koussanar area: using organic agriculture techniques (no chemical pesticides or fertilisers); and respecting fair trade criteria (e.g. no forced labour, children’s work limited, gender equality issues addressed, lifelong training made available, fair working environment…[1]).
- After harvest, ginning (removal of seeds) is carried out by the Sodefitex[1].
- The cotton fibre is then spun by women in the villages – by hand, and since 2008 also using wooden spinning wheels, to produce balls of thread.
- The thread is woven into narrow strips of cloth (8-20cm wide) using wooden weaving frames, operated by hands and feet simultaneously, by men.
- For cloth which is to be dyed, the strips are roughly attached together and tie-dye techniques are applied as required, by the women. The cloth is then naturally dyed using indigo, also grown by the federation. It can take several days to several weeks to get the technique right in order to achieve a dark indigo colour – knowledge of the ancient technique is being lost.
- The indigo dyed strips, and natural beige strips, are sewn together by hand or machine to produce blankets, cushion covers, and to make accessories. Prototypes are being produced in Dakar in collaboration with local tailors, and repeat production is to be carried out in Koussanar.
- A ‘fair trade’ price is paid to each actor in the chain.
- The finished product is to be clearly marketed as hand-made, organic, fair trade, and naturally-dyed. The social and environmental advantages of the techniques used must be clearly explained to consumers.
Social advantages of the organic and fair trade procedures
- Paying a fair trade price means higher revenue for the cotton producers (they receive 272 FCFA/kilo, compared to 180 FCFA/kilo for conventional cotton grain, with FLO-CERT[6] certification).
- Producers and their communities work together in the federation and receive the support of an outside structure – the NGO Enda.
- Roles of women are changing – there are now women with defined roles in the federation; issues are brought into discussion like access to land for women; specific work is created for women – spinning, dyeing with indigo…
- A literacy project runs alongside – lifelong learning for the villagers can lead to independently running the federation.
- African traditions are retained and promoted – weaving, indigo dye, handmade products.
- Organic agriculture means removing health problems linked to pesticide use for farmers and their families, and reduces costs as chemical products do not need to be bought.
Environmental advantages of the organic and fair trade procedures
- Organic agriculture is healthier for the environment – no chemicals are added to the soil, the natural needs of the soil are respected using crop rotation.
- Traditional handcraft techniques are non-polluting.
- Natural local dye is used rather than imported chemical dye.
- Local produce is capitalised; reduced transport pollution.
Limitations
- Certification costs are high and therefore an obstacle for small organisations.
- Is the fair trade price really fair? – those transforming and reselling can gain much more than the cotton producer from the organic/fair trade certification.
- The payment for the cotton can be received very late after production.
- The fair trade price paid does not take into account costs of running the project – monitoring and evaluation, field visits. The help of a partner such as an NGO is therefore needed.
- The fair trade criteria are not always realistic for the living situation of the villagers – e.g. too many reports to write (most members of the federation are illiterate)…
- Are the roles of women changing quickly enough? – The wage received per hour for the work done by women (e.g. spinning) is massively inferior to that for men’s work (e.g. weaving). The access to land issue is not resolved.
- There are difficulties in increasing the yield of organic cotton in the region to meet increasing international demand.
- Natural dye also has a certain impact on the environment due to fixatives needed.
- For the value of an indigo-dyed, organic fair trade cotton article to really be represented, products need to be sold at a high price and are therefore exclusive. The debate exists between ‘slow fashion’ – tastes and trends changing gradually, increasing the lifecycle of a product, and the ‘throwaway society’. A massive awareness-raising campaign is to be carried out.
In conclusion
Organic cotton production can offer real environmental and financial advantages for producers in West Africa, however certification costs and the need for specialist knowledge means that a supporting partner is necessary for small producer groups. The technique is therefore not a solution for all farmers. With the development of a local or more affordable global certification body and the increasing demand for organically-grown cotton at international level we can hope that the methods will become more widely-applicable in the future.
Fair trade brings a higher price for the farmer and better wages for actors throughout the chain. It also ensures training and support. However fair trade certification also has a high cost, and some of the criteria set by European certification bodies are not adapted to African realities. If local affordable certification adapted to communities is developed, the advantages of real fair trade can be extended to benefit many others.
In terms of cotton, organic and fair trade go hand-in-hand when developing a more ethical product. Producers, actors in the textiles chain, and consumers in Africa must be informed on the concepts and benefits of both in order to choose their own paths of development.
[1] Yakaar Niani Wulli Federation http://www.yaniwulli.org/
[2] Organic cotton has been produced for longer
[3] Enda Pronat http://pronat.enda.sn/
[4] See http://www.fairtrade.net/producer_standards.html for documents on FLO fair-trade standards
[5] SODEFITEX – Société de développement et de fibres textiles
[6] FLO-CERT
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