Female Farmers Are Transforming Cotton – Alison Ward, CEO of CottonConnect

“I've been particularly passionate about working with women in those communities to teach them about new techniques so they can understand how to run their farm more effectively, but also understand their rights as women in those communities so they have a stronger voice…. And because they were called an ‘ambassador,’ their status in the village rose.”

Alison Ward on Electric Ladies Podcast

Have you ever wondered where your shirt really comes from, or where the cotton in your jeans was grown? While the tag might tell you where they were made, it won't tell you where the cotton came from. And that matters. Cotton is everywhere but this vital crop is now facing serious threats from climate change. Women farmers are transforming it.

One organization is working to change that. CottonConnect is training female cotton farmers in eco-friendly, climate-resilient farming practices – and tracking it.  Listen to Alison aWard, CEO of CottonConnect on Electric Ladies Podcast with Joan Michelson and learn about the significant yet under recognized role of women in cotton farming.

You'll hear about:

• How climate change is hitting female farmers the hardest.
• The ways CottonConnect is bringing transparency to the cotton supply chain.
• Innovative solutions in cotton farming, including a role played by the European Space Agency.
• How CottonConnect is empowering women and transforming communities.
• Plus, career advice for women navigating career transitions.

“If you can combine something you're passionate about with something you're good at, and you can make that into a career, that is success. Find other women that will be prepared to give back to help careers and connect. We have a Women in CottonConnect group where we are really looking at how we can advance women in our organization.  

“Not everything has to be an enormous career step. When I joined CottonConnect, it was a relatively small organization that has since grown into a much larger one. But it was something I was passionate about, and I've been fortunate to have a great team and great advisors around me.”