With a focus on issues ranging from gender equality to sustainability, Marie Altagrace Astride Nazaire serves as Minister Counsellor within the Permanent Mission of Haiti to the United Nations. Astride Nazaire has a strong focus on efforts that help improve the economic and social justice in her island nation.
In recent news, a partnership between the Smallholder Farmers Alliance (SFA) and footwear and outdoor apparel company Timberland is helping develop the country’s cotton supply chain. With the once-robust cotton industry having collapsed three decades ago, SFA cotton trials began last year, when seeds were planted. A first harvest occurred in February 2018.
With Timberland committed to funding the five-year SFA initiative, field trials will continue through to a planned 2020 product launch employing SFA cotton. As part of the agreement, Timberland is committed to purchasing a significant percentage of its international cotton supply through Haitian smallholder farms.
Beyond simple cotton production, the effort also involves planting trees and the creation of a Ground to Good fabric that meets performance standards set by Thread International. These standards include taking care of the environment through such efforts as recycling plastic bottles recovered from canals and streets.
