After spotting the unsustainable stains along the cotton first mile, we’ll share how our supply chain visibility software can clean them up. According to experts in the field, digitising the textiles value chain is one of the key trends that will drive the transition to a more circular model over the next few years. By providing cotton farmers and off-farm stakeholders (e.g., ginners, mills, fashion brands) with our first mile tracking technologies, Farmforce is positioning itself at the forefront of this shift.
Boosting Organic Cotton Production
While being a sustainable farming technique from an environmental standpoint, growing organic cotton might not be economically sustainable for many smallholders. Yet, by tapping into our software for farm management, farmers or cooperatives staff can store all the agricultural inputs they add in one place. Proving the absence of chemicals more cost-effectively will make the GOTS certification process easier and more affordable.
Aside from building an inventory of organic cotton information (e.g., chemical-free fertilisers), our agricultural supply chain software can help ginners check whether farmers are sneaking any non-organic cotton into their harvest. Thanks to our quota feature, users can record the maximum amount of organic cotton a certain grower can deliver to a ginning plant. Therefore, whenever delivering a crop amount exceeding their quota, they can further investigate and figure out whether it comes from non-organic sources.
Preventing Child Labour
Speaking of production certifications, our advanced traceability solutions can also help farmers achieve Fairtrade-friendly cotton production. To be more specific, Farmforce’s survey function lets you gather valuable details (e.g., age, school attendance frequency, etc.) on farmers’ family members. Doing so, Fairtrade could easily spot any potential telltale sign of children engaging in cotton harvesting (e.g., minors skipping school). On top of that, the information collected through Farmforce’s surveys would come in handy to Fairtrade’s Youth-Inclusive Community-Based Monitoring and Remediation (YICBMR) program.
Enabling Fair Wages
Smallholders sporting a certification trademark like GOTS or Fairtrade can put a premium on their cotton. Apart from unlocking more profitable markets for farmers, Farmforce can improve their livelihood through digital payments. For instance, building smallholders’ digital credit history will supercharge their chances of accessing loans in the future. Also, bypassing corrupt banks, Farmforce-enabled direct transactions will deliver cut-free compensation to growers in real time.
Finally, being able to manage the production traceability of multiple crops (e.g., cocoa, coffee, cashew, etc.), our tool promotes cotton farmers’ income diversification. With climate-driven disasters becoming more frequent, this would enhance smallholders’ economic resilience.
Farmforce Is up for the Sustainable Cotton Challenge
More organic cotton, no child labour, smallholders’ fairer wages. Our first mile technologies can help all players involved in this supply chain lead the sustainable cotton challenge over the next few years.