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“I hope young women can build confident and independent lives through the work of their own hands.”
“I never imagined that the cashmere from our goats, raised with care and hard work, would ever travel so far.”
“It makes me proud to see that we are the ones growing this cotton, and it is this very cotton that clothes us and brings us an income.”
“We grow and sell cotton to earn a living, and thanks to cotton farming, I am able to send my children to school.”
“I’m proud to grow cotton that brings joy to everyone who wears it.”
“Through CmiA, numerous transformative initiatives have been brought to our community. Thanks to the empowerment workshops we attended, I now take initiative and resolve domestic matters myself.”
“I work tirelessly to pave the way for my daughters’ success. Seeing them thrive in life will be my greatest achievement.”
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Two fibres. Two women. One shared story.
The Origin Scarf is made of Cotton made in Africa–verified cotton and The Good Cashmere Standard–verified cashmere. It weaves together the threads between continents and fibres, stitching them into one common mission: making the women who produce CmiA-verified cotton in Africa South of the Sahara and GCS-verified cashmere in Inner Mongolia seen and heard. It represents their skills, their resilience, and the positive change that is possible.
Cotton made in Africa is an independently verified sustainability standard for cotton produced by small-scale farmers in Africa South of the Sahara. CmiA supports producers through targeted community projects and training in socially and ecologically sound production methods that do not use genetic engineering or artificial irrigation while offering traceability from cotton bale to finished garment.
The Good Cashmere Standard is an independently verified standard for cashmere that aims to ensure the welfare of the goats in Inner Mongolia. It focusses on the proper care, handling, and living conditions of the animals while also addressing environmental protection, fair working conditions for herding communities, and traceability from farm to finished garment.
Female farmers continue to face structural disadvantages, including with access to land, financial resources, training, and decision-making. This structural disadvantage is a major cause of social and economic injustice and of missed opportunities for development worldwide. Globally, there is huge potential in supporting women in agriculture:
Source: ‘International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026’, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), https://www.fao.org/woman-farmer-2026/en, (accessed October 2026).
AbTF addresses gender imbalance in farming communities through a multi-stage approach centred on close cooperation with local partners. Through our women’s empowerment initiatives, we help women gain practical skills, take on leadership roles, and improve their income. Our commitment to female empowerment is not just a promise; it is written into our standards and supported by targeted projects. Cashmere and cotton farms are mainly family-run. Whereas our training and projects address producer communities in their entirety, there are also concrete initiatives to support female farmers:
AbTF embeds equality criteria in all its independently verified standards. An independent study found that over 80 percent of women in Côte d’Ivoire receive an equal share of cotton-sale proceeds.
Source: ‘Case study: Research on women empowerment among female CmiA cotton farmers’, Cotton made in Africa (July 2024), Study-on-Women-Empowerment-2024.pdf
We enhance business, practical, and literacy skills through gender-specific content. For cashmere farmers, this means training in herd management. In African cotton-producing regions, it includes establishing savings and loan cooperatives as well as offering literacy courses that build confidence and financial independence for female cotton farmers.
In Africa, we have already supported 116 women’s clubs where members cultivate cotton fields together and launch other income-generating businesses like poultry farming or shea butter production. These clubs create powerful networks for shared success.
By financing projects in African cotton growing regions that improve access to clean water, we help women and girls reclaim time, increase their safety, and gain opportunities for education and economic activity. This makes such a big difference because girls and women are otherwise often required to make long, unsafe journeys to fetch water. More than 40,000 community members benefited from water-related CmiA community projects in 2025.
Discover the voices directly driving the empowerment of female farmers! Alongside the farmers who are transforming how cotton and cashmere are produced and uplifting their communities, dedicated partners and facilitators play a vital role on the ground. At the Aid by Trade Foundation, we proudly collaborate with these passionate change makers to create a lasting impact.
Regional Director, CmiA-verified cotton company Olam International, Côte d’Ivoire
“Some thirteen years ago, when the men of a cotton-growing village hesitated as I wanted to launch a project for women, I went there myself. The chief was visibly surprised to see that the regional director was a woman—but he agreed to approve the project. That moment left a deep mark on me. I understood that showing up, owning your place, and being seen can open the door for other women.”
Head of Gender and Social Initiatives, CmiA-verified cotton company COIC-SA (Compagnie Ivoirienne pour le Développement des Textiles), Côte d’Ivoire
“Knowledge in a woman’s hands safeguards her whole family. Investing in women cotton farmers secures cotton for the next twenty years—because a well-trained woman doesn’t abandon her land; she tends it for her children.”
GCS Officer, GCS-verified cashmere producer Niushi, Inner Mongolia, China
“In the past, women’s contributions were often seen mainly as supporting labour within the household, with little involvement in independent management or decision-making. Today, a new generation of women is increasingly taking responsibility for their own decisions: managing their farms, bearing the risks and returns, and engaging directly with the market.”
GCS Officer and Administrative Manager, GCS-verified cashmere producer Jiayi Knitting Co Ltd, Inner Mongolia, China
“Women herders are indispensable pillars of their families. Their importance is deeply rooted in the unique production and way of life of the grasslands and goes far beyond the traditional role of a ‘housewife’. In herder households in the Ordos grasslands, women are by no means merely supporting figures who ‘lend a hand’. They are the backbone of the household, sustaining both family livelihoods and the day-to-day management of the pasture.”
Operations Manager, CmiA-verified cotton company Highlands Cotton Trading, Zambia
“We shouldn’t be underestimated as women. Many of us have the potential to be exceptional leaders.”
Head of Sustainability, CmiA-verified cotton company Cotontchad SN (a subsidiary of Olam Agri)
“Historically, women have been virtually absent from management positions in the cotton industry. Today, having joined the Cotontchad SN management team, I am striving to break through this glass ceiling. The rigour of my scientific expertise commands respect and proves that competence has no gender.”
