• This time I had a plan. I had been rejected too many times trying to get close to the cotton that still is a main driver of Uzbekistans economy. I just threw the backpack over my shoulder, dangled my camera from my neck in front of my belly, water bottle in one hand, the holy bible of the traveler called the Lonely Planet in the other and walked down the road straight up to the gates of the cotton gin. Amazed I stood at the entrance, peered in and finally asked for a tour. When the manager came by to check me out I told him about my father who as an engineer had worked on cotton gins all his life. And I his son never had gotten the chance to see his legacy in action as there is no cotton grown in Germany. If I could just get a tour to bring home some pictures to the old man… The cotton factories and storage facilities are sensible infrastructure in Uzbekistan. As the backbone of the countries economy and central part of the power structure they are closely watched to prevent „terrorist“ attacks, which had occurred a few times in the past. Back in the day the Uzbek SSR accounted for 70% of Soviet cotton production and in 1988 it grew more cotton than any other country. Since these glory days the country’s role in the international cotton markets has steadily declined and by now it is only the world’s sixth largest producer. But still cotton is the guarantee for the power to remain with Tashkent’s political elite, who controls the exports. In a neo-feudalist system President Karimov directly appoints the country’s 13 regional governors, who are responsible to deliver the region’s annual cotton quota. Unsuccessful governors rapidly fall from grace and are easily fired, while the successful ones become rich, as the national government ignores the regional administration’s countless corruption schemes.
    73 5
    This time I had a plan. I had been rejected too many times trying to get close to the cotton that still is a main driver of Uzbekistans economy. I just threw the backpack over my shoulder, dangled my camera from my neck in front of my belly, water bottle in one hand, the holy bible of the traveler called the Lonely Planet in the other and walked down the road straight up to the gates of the cotton gin. Amazed I stood at the entrance, peered in and finally asked for a tour. When the manager came by to check me out I told him about my father who as an engineer had worked on cotton gins all his life. And I his son never had gotten the chance to see his legacy in action as there is no cotton grown in Germany. If I could just get a tour to bring home some pictures to the old man… The cotton factories and storage facilities are sensible infrastructure in Uzbekistan. As the backbone of the countries economy and central part of the power structure they are closely watched to prevent „terrorist“ attacks, which had occurred a few times in the past. Back in the day the Uzbek SSR accounted for 70% of Soviet cotton production and in 1988 it grew more cotton than any other country. Since these glory days the country’s role in the international cotton markets has steadily declined and by now it is only the world’s sixth largest producer. But still cotton is the guarantee for the power to remain with Tashkent’s political elite, who controls the exports. In a neo-feudalist system President Karimov directly appoints the country’s 13 regional governors, who are responsible to deliver the region’s annual cotton quota. Unsuccessful governors rapidly fall from grace and are easily fired, while the successful ones become rich, as the national government ignores the regional administration’s countless corruption schemes.
  • I had got some information that a big group of students had been brought to a place south of Bukhara to harvest cotton. They were said to stay in large camps for weeks. I took a bus south and then tried to hire a taxi to the little town the students should be working in. The driver had to ask for directions, spoke to a few people then finally started driving. But after about ten minutes around a few blocks we were back at our staring point. The driver had to talk to a few more people and while I was waiting in the car, more and more people gathered: What did I want in that place? There is nothing to see. The great monuments are at Bukhara and Samarkand. Nothing for a tourist to see there. Bad road, not save, no fuel. Finally a well dressed guy arrived and started questioning me in perfect German with a nice east German tint to it. I tried to convince him that I was tired of the usual tourist route that I just wanted to see the beautiful country side and some friends had mentioned that place. But whatever I said it became clear that this fucking car wasn’t going anywhere. And the only bus today would go right back to Bukhara. So I happily took it with the advice about the great sightseeing I could do there. On the way back we passed a town with a bunch of cotton factories lining the road. So at the next stop I got off the bus with all my luggage and dragged my backpack to a teahouse. After a few cups of tea and a little lunch I started taking pictures at the local market, becoming the boring tourist once again, just waiting for the light to get a tiny bit better to start my advance at the cotton factory. This time with a fool proof story and plan laid out in my head. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its DyingSea chapter (documented on the ground in 2007 and updated in 2018) investigates the drying of the Aral Sea in Central Asia. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007. ––– #landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #aralsea #aralseadisaster #anthropocene #slowviolence #untoldvisuals #environmentalportrait, #environmentalportraits
    113 2
    I had got some information that a big group of students had been brought to a place south of Bukhara to harvest cotton. They were said to stay in large camps for weeks. I took a bus south and then tried to hire a taxi to the little town the students should be working in. The driver had to ask for directions, spoke to a few people then finally started driving. But after about ten minutes around a few blocks we were back at our staring point. The driver had to talk to a few more people and while I was waiting in the car, more and more people gathered: What did I want in that place? There is nothing to see. The great monuments are at Bukhara and Samarkand. Nothing for a tourist to see there. Bad road, not save, no fuel. Finally a well dressed guy arrived and started questioning me in perfect German with a nice east German tint to it. I tried to convince him that I was tired of the usual tourist route that I just wanted to see the beautiful country side and some friends had mentioned that place. But whatever I said it became clear that this fucking car wasn’t going anywhere. And the only bus today would go right back to Bukhara. So I happily took it with the advice about the great sightseeing I could do there. On the way back we passed a town with a bunch of cotton factories lining the road. So at the next stop I got off the bus with all my luggage and dragged my backpack to a teahouse. After a few cups of tea and a little lunch I started taking pictures at the local market, becoming the boring tourist once again, just waiting for the light to get a tiny bit better to start my advance at the cotton factory. This time with a fool proof story and plan laid out in my head. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its DyingSea chapter (documented on the ground in 2007 and updated in 2018) investigates the drying of the Aral Sea in Central Asia. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007. ––– #landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #aralsea #aralseadisaster #anthropocene #slowviolence #untoldvisuals #environmentalportrait, #environmentalportraits
  • A painting in the lobby of Hotel Oybek, the only hotel in Muynak, depicts a scene from the old shoreline of the Aral Sea. Muynak used to be a famous fishing port at the southern coast of the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan. In its heyday Muynak’s cannery and large industrial fishing fleet employed about 30,000 people and fish from the Aral Sea was sold all over the Soviet Union. When the Aral Sea was destroyed, ten thousands of fishermen lost their livelihood, the boats stranded in new formed desert and most people moved away. Today Muynak is a desperate place that lays about 200 kilometer away from the shoreline in a man made desert. The people who remain suffer from unemployment, polluted water and poisonous dust storms that rage during long periods each year. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its DyingSea chapter (documented on the ground in 2007 and updated in 2018) investigates the drying of the Aral Sea in Central Asia. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007. ––– #landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #aralsea #aralseadisaster #irrigation #evaporation #amudarya #syrdarya #Karakalpakstan #anthropocene #slowviolence
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    A painting in the lobby of Hotel Oybek, the only hotel in Muynak, depicts a scene from the old shoreline of the Aral Sea. Muynak used to be a famous fishing port at the southern coast of the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan. In its heyday Muynak’s cannery and large industrial fishing fleet employed about 30,000 people and fish from the Aral Sea was sold all over the Soviet Union. When the Aral Sea was destroyed, ten thousands of fishermen lost their livelihood, the boats stranded in new formed desert and most people moved away. Today Muynak is a desperate place that lays about 200 kilometer away from the shoreline in a man made desert. The people who remain suffer from unemployment, polluted water and poisonous dust storms that rage during long periods each year. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its DyingSea chapter (documented on the ground in 2007 and updated in 2018) investigates the drying of the Aral Sea in Central Asia. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007. ––– #landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #aralsea #aralseadisaster #irrigation #evaporation #amudarya #syrdarya #Karakalpakstan #anthropocene #slowviolence
  • The shoreline of what is left of the Aral Sea was probably the most lonely place I have ever visited. I was driving down from the plateau on its South-Western side, when the intense blue of its water caught my eye. It felt like a gigantic sapphire gleaming in the the flat salt covered plain that stretches to the horizon. It was beautiful. And because of its amazing beauty the sense of loss and tragedy was all the more unbearable. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its DyingSea chapter (documented on the ground in 2007 and updated in 2018) investigates the drying of the Aral Sea in Central Asia. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007. ––– #landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #aralsea #aralseadisaster #irrigation #evaporation #amudarya #syrdarya #Karakalpakstan #anthropocene #slowviolence
    50 2
    The shoreline of what is left of the Aral Sea was probably the most lonely place I have ever visited. I was driving down from the plateau on its South-Western side, when the intense blue of its water caught my eye. It felt like a gigantic sapphire gleaming in the the flat salt covered plain that stretches to the horizon. It was beautiful. And because of its amazing beauty the sense of loss and tragedy was all the more unbearable. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its DyingSea chapter (documented on the ground in 2007 and updated in 2018) investigates the drying of the Aral Sea in Central Asia. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007. ––– #landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #aralsea #aralseadisaster #irrigation #evaporation #amudarya #syrdarya #Karakalpakstan #anthropocene #slowviolence
  • Documenting cotton in Uzbekistan proofed much more challenging than I had though. In many regions I visited around the world it’s getting out of the car when you see a cotton field, talk to some friendly farmers and often they invite you to take pictures. Here it was different. Cotton was hiding in plain sight. I could see the fields passing by but there was no way getting out of the bus and directly talking to people. The regime just didn’t like journalists pocking around and asking too many questions about cotton, which is still one of the main drivers of the economy and employs hundred thousands of forced labor during harvest. And connecting cotton to the fate of the Aral Sea wasn’t seen as great publicity either. So for weeks I was doing the travelers tour, slowly making my way west from the great cities of the ancient silk road towards the disappearing lake. Mostly I was taking tourist snapshots, of old forts and mosques and graveyards – everything just to appear as a normal tourist. It bored me to death and let me despair, because I wasn’t getting anything useful for the story. But I am just not made to function in dodgy situations with the threat of being deported or thrown into a hole dangling over my head. If this threat was real or imagined wasn’t so important– it just felt shitty. And then finally a situation happened that broke the spell. I was at the Tujamujun reservoir, which was build in the 1980s to collect the water of the Amudarya for irrigation of the cotton fields in Uzbekistans provinces Khorezm and Karakalpakstan. Since years the water level is so low that sandstorms rage on its ground and the little water it collects is far from fresh. It is the salty savage from the cotton fields further upstream. Suddenly a huge herd of sheep appeared and with it the landscape turned into dust. When the shepherd walked by, raising his stick into the air I knew I got the first photograph, that meant something for the story of the region: With all of Uzbekistan’s west suffering from unemployment and poverty many people retrieve the traditional nomad living of the region and build up herds of sheep and goats.
    65 3
    Documenting cotton in Uzbekistan proofed much more challenging than I had though. In many regions I visited around the world it’s getting out of the car when you see a cotton field, talk to some friendly farmers and often they invite you to take pictures. Here it was different. Cotton was hiding in plain sight. I could see the fields passing by but there was no way getting out of the bus and directly talking to people. The regime just didn’t like journalists pocking around and asking too many questions about cotton, which is still one of the main drivers of the economy and employs hundred thousands of forced labor during harvest. And connecting cotton to the fate of the Aral Sea wasn’t seen as great publicity either. So for weeks I was doing the travelers tour, slowly making my way west from the great cities of the ancient silk road towards the disappearing lake. Mostly I was taking tourist snapshots, of old forts and mosques and graveyards – everything just to appear as a normal tourist. It bored me to death and let me despair, because I wasn’t getting anything useful for the story. But I am just not made to function in dodgy situations with the threat of being deported or thrown into a hole dangling over my head. If this threat was real or imagined wasn’t so important– it just felt shitty. And then finally a situation happened that broke the spell. I was at the Tujamujun reservoir, which was build in the 1980s to collect the water of the Amudarya for irrigation of the cotton fields in Uzbekistans provinces Khorezm and Karakalpakstan. Since years the water level is so low that sandstorms rage on its ground and the little water it collects is far from fresh. It is the salty savage from the cotton fields further upstream. Suddenly a huge herd of sheep appeared and with it the landscape turned into dust. When the shepherd walked by, raising his stick into the air I knew I got the first photograph, that meant something for the story of the region: With all of Uzbekistan’s west suffering from unemployment and poverty many people retrieve the traditional nomad living of the region and build up herds of sheep and goats.
  • I was invited to a wedding in Bogun. When strolling around the venue before the guests arrived I stumbled upon these guys decorating the place of honor where the bride and groom would soon be seated. Now decorating the place wasn’t something unusual in itself. The way it happened though was like life playing one of its bizarre games. The guys, both fishermen, were using cotton to write the names of the bridal pair. Cotton to wish them luck. Cotton to celebrate their wedding. And yet cotton had destroyed their town, their lives, their future. It was cotton that was grown in the steppes and deserts of Central Asia. Cotton, that needed so much water that it depleted the two mighty rivers feeding the Aral Sea. Cotton, that turned the lake into a dustbowl, into Aralkum, the world's youngest and most toxic desert. Cotton, that destroyed the fishing industry the whole town of Bogun depended on. Cotton, that remains the curse of the region and the people living there. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its DyingSea chapter (documented on the ground in 2007 and updated in 2018) investigates the drying of the Aral Sea in Central Asia. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007. ––– #landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #aralsea #aralseadisaster #irrigation #evaporation #amudarya #syrdarya #anthropocene #slowviolence
    104 9
    I was invited to a wedding in Bogun. When strolling around the venue before the guests arrived I stumbled upon these guys decorating the place of honor where the bride and groom would soon be seated. Now decorating the place wasn’t something unusual in itself. The way it happened though was like life playing one of its bizarre games. The guys, both fishermen, were using cotton to write the names of the bridal pair. Cotton to wish them luck. Cotton to celebrate their wedding. And yet cotton had destroyed their town, their lives, their future. It was cotton that was grown in the steppes and deserts of Central Asia. Cotton, that needed so much water that it depleted the two mighty rivers feeding the Aral Sea. Cotton, that turned the lake into a dustbowl, into Aralkum, the world's youngest and most toxic desert. Cotton, that destroyed the fishing industry the whole town of Bogun depended on. Cotton, that remains the curse of the region and the people living there. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its DyingSea chapter (documented on the ground in 2007 and updated in 2018) investigates the drying of the Aral Sea in Central Asia. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007. ––– #landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #aralsea #aralseadisaster #irrigation #evaporation #amudarya #syrdarya #anthropocene #slowviolence
  • This chapter starts with the end. The end of a grand irrational dream. The end of two rivers so mighty that early Muslims believed them to be two of the four rivers that run into paradise. And the end of a bottle of cognac. It was ten in the morning and Dusbai had brought me and a neighbor to meet his brigade of fishermen. Now we were sitting in the UAZ 469 staring out on the water that still stretched to the horizon and all I could see where a bunch of camels wetting their feet. Then another glass was pressed into my hand. No way of declining the offer. I had been hopeful when we finished the bottle of Vodka some time ago. With clumsy legs I had been walking outside on the salt crusted ground to get sober again, until the cold October wind convinced me to return to the overheated car. Unfortunately Dusbai had found another bottle and within an hour his constant call to worship the spirits of friendship had evaporated most of it. At least this was the last drink this morning. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its DyingSea chapter (documented on the ground in 2007 and updated in 2018) investigates the drying of the Aral Sea in Central Asia. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007. ––– #landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #aralsea #aralseadisaster #irrigation #camels #evaporation #amudarya #syrdarya #environmentalphotojournalism #anthropocene #slowviolence
    86 0
    This chapter starts with the end. The end of a grand irrational dream. The end of two rivers so mighty that early Muslims believed them to be two of the four rivers that run into paradise. And the end of a bottle of cognac. It was ten in the morning and Dusbai had brought me and a neighbor to meet his brigade of fishermen. Now we were sitting in the UAZ 469 staring out on the water that still stretched to the horizon and all I could see where a bunch of camels wetting their feet. Then another glass was pressed into my hand. No way of declining the offer. I had been hopeful when we finished the bottle of Vodka some time ago. With clumsy legs I had been walking outside on the salt crusted ground to get sober again, until the cold October wind convinced me to return to the overheated car. Unfortunately Dusbai had found another bottle and within an hour his constant call to worship the spirits of friendship had evaporated most of it. At least this was the last drink this morning. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its DyingSea chapter (documented on the ground in 2007 and updated in 2018) investigates the drying of the Aral Sea in Central Asia. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007. ––– #landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #aralsea #aralseadisaster #irrigation #camels #evaporation #amudarya #syrdarya #environmentalphotojournalism #anthropocene #slowviolence
  • After a long day pulling cotton Sory Sougalo walks home from the field. This is the final post of the cotton journey through Burkina Faso that focused on organic farming and the dissemination and effects of genetically modified seeds. From here our investigation follows the „White Gold“ to Central Asia, where excessive irrigation destroyed the Aral Sea, leaving a polluted wasteland behind. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its Burkina Dream chapter (documented on the ground in 2009 and updated in 2017) considers the hope and challenges of small scale organic farmers at the very moment Burkina Faso introduces genetically modified cotton nationwide. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007. ––– #landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #burkinafaso #WhiteGoldProject #documentingourworld #organicfarming #globalization
    42 2
    After a long day pulling cotton Sory Sougalo walks home from the field. This is the final post of the cotton journey through Burkina Faso that focused on organic farming and the dissemination and effects of genetically modified seeds. From here our investigation follows the „White Gold“ to Central Asia, where excessive irrigation destroyed the Aral Sea, leaving a polluted wasteland behind. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its Burkina Dream chapter (documented on the ground in 2009 and updated in 2017) considers the hope and challenges of small scale organic farmers at the very moment Burkina Faso introduces genetically modified cotton nationwide. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007. ––– #landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #burkinafaso #WhiteGoldProject #documentingourworld #organicfarming #globalization
  • Sory Pande Karidja pulls cotton with her daughter. Sory was one of the first farmers in Burkina Faso growing organic cotton. When she started other farmers blamed her for not using chemical pesticides. They feared that pests from her fields might destroy their own ones thus hurting the community. Over the years though this attitude changed when her neighbors realized this wasn’t the case and Sory‘s cotton was making more profit than the conventional one. Gradually many changed to organic farming. This enabled them not only to increase their income but also to improve soil fertility, their health and food security. Growing organic is much more profitable than conventional cotton, even though the organic yield is lower on average. While conventional farmers average 1,100kg/ha, organic farmers only get about 675kg/ha on average with only the best ones reaching about 1000kg/ha. But as organic cotton realizes a higher price on the market, 272 CFA/kg instead of 165 CFA/kg, the gross profit per hectare is nearly identical in organic and conventional farms. Because organic farmers spend about 90% less on inputs, as they don’t have to buy commercial fertilizer and pesticides, their gross margin is about 30% better than for conventional farmers. The lower input prices also reduce the risk of running into debt, which many conventional farmers struggle from. And because no synthetic and poisonous chemicals are used even pregnant women can grow cotton without endangering their children. Thus organic cotton became known as a women’s crop. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its Burkina Dream chapter (documented on the ground in 2009 and updated in 2017) considers the hope and challenges of small scale organic farmers at the very moment Burkina Faso introduces genetically modified cotton nationwide. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007.
–––
#landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #burkinafaso #WhiteGoldProject #documentingourworld #organicfarming
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    Sory Pande Karidja pulls cotton with her daughter. Sory was one of the first farmers in Burkina Faso growing organic cotton. When she started other farmers blamed her for not using chemical pesticides. They feared that pests from her fields might destroy their own ones thus hurting the community. Over the years though this attitude changed when her neighbors realized this wasn’t the case and Sory‘s cotton was making more profit than the conventional one. Gradually many changed to organic farming. This enabled them not only to increase their income but also to improve soil fertility, their health and food security. Growing organic is much more profitable than conventional cotton, even though the organic yield is lower on average. While conventional farmers average 1,100kg/ha, organic farmers only get about 675kg/ha on average with only the best ones reaching about 1000kg/ha. But as organic cotton realizes a higher price on the market, 272 CFA/kg instead of 165 CFA/kg, the gross profit per hectare is nearly identical in organic and conventional farms. Because organic farmers spend about 90% less on inputs, as they don’t have to buy commercial fertilizer and pesticides, their gross margin is about 30% better than for conventional farmers. The lower input prices also reduce the risk of running into debt, which many conventional farmers struggle from. And because no synthetic and poisonous chemicals are used even pregnant women can grow cotton without endangering their children. Thus organic cotton became known as a women’s crop. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its Burkina Dream chapter (documented on the ground in 2009 and updated in 2017) considers the hope and challenges of small scale organic farmers at the very moment Burkina Faso introduces genetically modified cotton nationwide. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007.
–––
#landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #burkinafaso #WhiteGoldProject #documentingourworld #organicfarming
  • Sory Pande Karidja is the president of the women association in Naniagara. She was one of the first organic cotton farmers in Burkina Faso. Before farming organic she didn’t grow any cotton because conventional cotton requires a lot of chemical pesticides. As the chemicals are especially dangerous for pregnant women and their children, women normally don’t grow their own cotton. With cotton being the major cash crop most women weren’t able to earn money of their own and instead depend on their husband for cash. When organic cotton production was first introduced by aid organizations in Burkina Faso, mainly women tried it, realizing a chance to become more independent. Male farmers on the other hand often stayed with the conventional cotton, because they feared reduced yield without synthetic fertilizers. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its Burkina Dream chapter (documented on the ground in 2009 and updated in 2017) considers the hope and challenges of small scale organic farmers at the very moment Burkina Faso introduces genetically modified cotton nationwide. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007.
–––
#landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #burkinafaso #WhiteGoldProject #documentingourworld #organicfarming #interview #femalefarmers
    55 1
    Sory Pande Karidja is the president of the women association in Naniagara. She was one of the first organic cotton farmers in Burkina Faso. Before farming organic she didn’t grow any cotton because conventional cotton requires a lot of chemical pesticides. As the chemicals are especially dangerous for pregnant women and their children, women normally don’t grow their own cotton. With cotton being the major cash crop most women weren’t able to earn money of their own and instead depend on their husband for cash. When organic cotton production was first introduced by aid organizations in Burkina Faso, mainly women tried it, realizing a chance to become more independent. Male farmers on the other hand often stayed with the conventional cotton, because they feared reduced yield without synthetic fertilizers. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its Burkina Dream chapter (documented on the ground in 2009 and updated in 2017) considers the hope and challenges of small scale organic farmers at the very moment Burkina Faso introduces genetically modified cotton nationwide. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007.
–––
#landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #burkinafaso #WhiteGoldProject #documentingourworld #organicfarming #interview #femalefarmers
  • In many rural areas of Burkina Faso girls are often taken out of school so that they can go and look for water. The new well build in Naniagara with the fair trade premium for organic cotton reduced the time spent for gathering water considerably, so that more girls can attend school most of the time. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its Burkina Dream chapter (documented on the ground in 2009 and updated in 2017) considers the hope and challenges of small scale organic farmers at the very moment Burkina Faso introduces genetically modified cotton nationwide. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007.
–––
#landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #burkinafaso #WhiteGoldProject #organicfarming #environmentalportrait
    114 3
    In many rural areas of Burkina Faso girls are often taken out of school so that they can go and look for water. The new well build in Naniagara with the fair trade premium for organic cotton reduced the time spent for gathering water considerably, so that more girls can attend school most of the time. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its Burkina Dream chapter (documented on the ground in 2009 and updated in 2017) considers the hope and challenges of small scale organic farmers at the very moment Burkina Faso introduces genetically modified cotton nationwide. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007.
–––
#landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #burkinafaso #WhiteGoldProject #organicfarming #environmentalportrait
  • Girls fetch water from the new well build with the fair trade premium for organic cotton in Naniagara in western Burkina Faso. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its Burkina Dream chapter (documented on the ground in 2009 and updated in 2017) considers the hope and challenges of small scale organic farmers at the very moment Burkina Faso introduces genetically modified cotton nationwide. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007. ––– #landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #burkinafaso #WhiteGoldProject
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    Girls fetch water from the new well build with the fair trade premium for organic cotton in Naniagara in western Burkina Faso. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its Burkina Dream chapter (documented on the ground in 2009 and updated in 2017) considers the hope and challenges of small scale organic farmers at the very moment Burkina Faso introduces genetically modified cotton nationwide. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007. ––– #landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #burkinafaso #WhiteGoldProject
  • Sory Sougalo seeds freshly harvested corn. Corn is one of the main staple foods and basis for the traditional Tô, the polenta-style cakes served with a vegetable sauce. Often this basic diet is supplemented with an egg and from time to time with chicken, mutton, goat or fish. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its Burkina Dream chapter (documented on the ground in 2009 and updated in 2017) considers the hope and challenges of small scale organic farmers at the very moment Burkina Faso introduces genetically modified cotton nationwide. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007.
–––
#landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #burkinafaso #WhiteGoldProject #documentingourworld #organicfarming #environmentalportrait
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    Sory Sougalo seeds freshly harvested corn. Corn is one of the main staple foods and basis for the traditional Tô, the polenta-style cakes served with a vegetable sauce. Often this basic diet is supplemented with an egg and from time to time with chicken, mutton, goat or fish. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its Burkina Dream chapter (documented on the ground in 2009 and updated in 2017) considers the hope and challenges of small scale organic farmers at the very moment Burkina Faso introduces genetically modified cotton nationwide. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007.
–––
#landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #burkinafaso #WhiteGoldProject #documentingourworld #organicfarming #environmentalportrait
  • After the harvest, corn is stored at elevated platforms to protect it from decay and hungry livestock. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its Burkina Dream chapter (documented on the ground in 2009 and updated in 2017) considers the hope and challenges of small scale organic farmers at the very moment Burkina Faso introduces genetically modified cotton nationwide. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007.
–––
#landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #burkinafaso #WhiteGoldProject #documentingourworld #organicfarming #organicfarmer
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    After the harvest, corn is stored at elevated platforms to protect it from decay and hungry livestock. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its Burkina Dream chapter (documented on the ground in 2009 and updated in 2017) considers the hope and challenges of small scale organic farmers at the very moment Burkina Faso introduces genetically modified cotton nationwide. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007.
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#landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #burkinafaso #WhiteGoldProject #documentingourworld #organicfarming #organicfarmer
  • Farmers store their cotton in dedicated huts. Naniagara, a village near Banfora in western Burkina Faso where many farmers switched to organic agriculture. Organic cotton is often called a women’s crop in Burkina Faso were cotton is traditionally only grown by men. But because no synthetic and poisonous chemicals are used even pregnant women can grow organic cotton without endangering their children. So it is no wonder that of the roughly 7,000 organic producers in 2008 nearly one third were women. Many of their husbands though continued with conventional cotton, as it is the mens’ responsible to grow the cereals needed for the entire family and so they felt they had to ensure access to fertilizer. Because the distribution of fertilizer is a monopoly of the cotton companies such as SOFITEX only farmers growing cotton have access to fertilizer. When genetically modified Bt-cotton was commercialized in 2008/09 many female organic producers got in trouble and finally were kicked out of the organic cotton program. While it was possible to guarantee the separation of harvested conventional and organic cotton, ensuring no genetically modified seeds contaminated the organic producers supply within the same household became virtually impossible. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its Burkina Dream chapter (documented on the ground in 2009 and updated in 2017) considers the hope and challenges of small scale organic farmers at the very moment Burkina Faso introduces genetically modified cotton nationwide. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007. ––– #landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #burkinafaso #WhiteGoldProject #documentingourworld #organiccotton #organicfarming #gmo
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    Farmers store their cotton in dedicated huts. Naniagara, a village near Banfora in western Burkina Faso where many farmers switched to organic agriculture. Organic cotton is often called a women’s crop in Burkina Faso were cotton is traditionally only grown by men. But because no synthetic and poisonous chemicals are used even pregnant women can grow organic cotton without endangering their children. So it is no wonder that of the roughly 7,000 organic producers in 2008 nearly one third were women. Many of their husbands though continued with conventional cotton, as it is the mens’ responsible to grow the cereals needed for the entire family and so they felt they had to ensure access to fertilizer. Because the distribution of fertilizer is a monopoly of the cotton companies such as SOFITEX only farmers growing cotton have access to fertilizer. When genetically modified Bt-cotton was commercialized in 2008/09 many female organic producers got in trouble and finally were kicked out of the organic cotton program. While it was possible to guarantee the separation of harvested conventional and organic cotton, ensuring no genetically modified seeds contaminated the organic producers supply within the same household became virtually impossible. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its Burkina Dream chapter (documented on the ground in 2009 and updated in 2017) considers the hope and challenges of small scale organic farmers at the very moment Burkina Faso introduces genetically modified cotton nationwide. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007. ––– #landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #burkinafaso #WhiteGoldProject #documentingourworld #organiccotton #organicfarming #gmo
  • Martin picks the cotton on his uncles farm. Since the Swiss organization Helvetas started the organic cotton project in Naniagara the farmers prosper as organic farming improves their financial situation. Although organic cotton needs more labor, and in the beginning gives a lower yield than chemical farming it is more profitable to the farmers due to higher selling price and lower input costs as it dispenses with fertilizers and pesticides. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its Burkina Dream chapter (documented on the ground in 2009 and updated in 2017) considers the hope and challenges of small scale organic farmers at the very moment Burkina Faso introduces genetically modified cotton nationwide. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007.
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#landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #burkinafaso #WhiteGoldProject #documentingourworld #organiccotton #organicfarming #organicfarmer
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    Martin picks the cotton on his uncles farm. Since the Swiss organization Helvetas started the organic cotton project in Naniagara the farmers prosper as organic farming improves their financial situation. Although organic cotton needs more labor, and in the beginning gives a lower yield than chemical farming it is more profitable to the farmers due to higher selling price and lower input costs as it dispenses with fertilizers and pesticides. ––– WhiteGold documents the social and ecological consequences of global cotton farming. Its Burkina Dream chapter (documented on the ground in 2009 and updated in 2017) considers the hope and challenges of small scale organic farmers at the very moment Burkina Faso introduces genetically modified cotton nationwide. White Gold is part of the larger @landrushproject that investigates global agriculture since 2007.
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#landrushproject #waterseedland #bombayfc #burkinafaso #WhiteGoldProject #documentingourworld #organiccotton #organicfarming #organicfarmer