Timberland to buy cotton from Haiti

New England outdoor lifestyle brand, Timberland, will buy up to one-third of the cotton needed for its line from Haiti. But first, farmers must ensure the price and quality are acceptable and enough is produced.

Last week, smallholder farmers convened in a field on the outskirts of Gonaives, Haiti to harvest cotton for the first time in 30 years.

Agroforestry program

From 2010-2015, Timberland and the Smallholder Farmers Alliance, (SFA), teamed up to develop an agroforestry program in Haiti that ultimately planted more than 6 million trees and at the same time improved the socio-economic wellbeing of more than 3,000 farmers. The partnership aims to bring cotton back as phase two of its ongoing work to help reforest Haiti and benefit smallholder farmers.

Great day for Haiti

“This is a great day for Haiti,” smallholder farmer Nerlande Dautarn said as she harvested the first cotton from the test fields.

“My parents and grandparents grew cotton not far from here and now I can tell my children cotton is back after a long time away.”

Once the results of the test crops are analyzed, the SFA plans to plant the most successful varieties in larger quantities in August.

Target of 34,000 farmers in 5 years

A total of 34,000 cotton farmers working 17,000 farms are expected to be in business within five years.

Timberland sees the cotton program as socially responsible business as it is in line with the company’s business strategy and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the impact and results can be measured.

The brand is also working with the SFA to engage other stakeholders in the effort, within the industry as a whole as well as through Timberland’s parent company VF Corporation.