Give and Receive with WCS & EDUN
Save Wildlife in African Communities
WCS knows that to be successful in our mission to save wildlife and wild places, our work must benefit people, too. Directly or indirectly, we all depend on Earth’s resources.
WCS and EDUN’s Conservation Cotton Initiative (CCI) helps to empower rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa by training them to grow organic cotton using techniques that directly benefit wildlife protection as well as the health and livelihoods of the farmers themselves. The program works with agricultural communities in areas of Madagascar, Zambia, and Uganda that are rich in biodiversity, where the need for sustainable resource management is especially important.
WCS partners with the socially-conscious fashion brand EDUN to link the CCI farmers to a global market. When you make a donation of $25 or more to the CCI, you'll qualify for a $25 gift certificate from EDUN valid on any purchase of $100 or more.
Overcoming Tough Challenges: How WCS Stays on Track
Conventional cotton consumes more chemical pesticides and fertilizers than any other crop, contaminating waterways and soil and posing great risk to rural communities and neighboring wildlife. Eco-friendly cotton offers a sustainable alternative, and represents a potential cash crop for developing economies like those in Africa. WCS is working with farmers in areas of high biodiversity in the following ways:
Building Skills
In the Luangwa Valley of Zambia, WCS helps teach sustainable livelihood skills, transforming former poachers into organic farmers, beekeepers, and experts in other more earth-friendly trades.
Improving Market Connections
WCS works to ensure that local farmers get the maximum benefits from organic farming through direct crop purchase and higher premium prices for organic cotton. We promote a grow-to-sew production where raw materials and end products are produced in Africa.
Teaching Resource Conservation
We integrate sustainable practices into the production process. Participating farmers in CCI must commit to measures designed to control deforestation and protect wildlife.
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