The Cotton Village Initiative, directed by Pedram Jahanshiri, has launched a national program in Ethiopia's Afar Region to promote regenerative cotton farming and ecosystem restoration. Collaborating with the Ethiopian Cotton Association and regional authorities, it integrates sustainable agriculture with community empowerment across a 350-kilometer corridor. The effort aims to position Ethiopia strongly in the global textile value chain while aligning with national development priorities.
The Cotton Village Initiative (CVI), also known as Cotton Village Ethiopia, represents an innovative effort to transform Ethiopia's cotton sector through sustainable practices. Founded and directed by Pedram Jahanshiri, the program collaborates with the Ethiopian Cotton Association (ECA), the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Afar Regional Government, including the Afar Bureau of Industry & Investment. It particularly targets the Afar Region to foster inclusive industrial development and climate-resilient agriculture.
The initiative spans a 350-kilometer corridor, averaging 30 kilometers in width, between Amibara and Semera. This area includes a 100,000-hectare core hub and nearly 900,000 hectares dedicated to regenerative agriculture, biodiversity restoration, and desert rehabilitation. Key components integrate regenerative cotton farming, circular textile manufacturing, and large-scale desert-greening infrastructure to create a self-sustaining industrial ecosystem.
Impacts focus on regenerative agriculture and carbon-positive land restoration, alongside community development in housing, education, healthcare, and pension systems. It emphasizes empowerment of women and youth through inclusive employment and cooperatives, with wages averaging three times higher than the African cotton sector standard.
Pedram Jahanshiri emphasized the program's purpose: “Cotton Village Ethiopia was created not for personal gain but to serve and uplift Ethiopia’s people — empowering farmers, workers, and families through fair value, modern infrastructure, and a circular economy that gives back to the land.”
Partners include GIZ, UNIDO, UNDP, ICAC, and ICA Bremen. The initiative aligns with Ethiopia’s national agenda, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and the European Union’s Global Gateway strategy, particularly the Ethiopia-Djibouti corridor. A 13-minute presentation film by Jahanshiri and the ECA introduces the vision. Overall, it models sustainable development for Africa’s cotton sector with global relevance.