What's in a Name?
Pamba is the Swahili word for cotton. Pamba also means to beautify. Mali is Swahili for wealth. Pamba Mali is a social enterprise initiative whose overall goal is to eliminate poverty and hunger among smallholder farmers in western Kenya, while supporting eco-friendly farming activities and preserving its wealth for future generations by growing cotton organically.
Cotton is the world’s oldest commercial crop and one of the most important fiber crops in the global textiles industry. Yet, the industry generally fails to focus on the entire value chain to ensure that those growing cotton also receive a living income.
When a market lead, private sector initiative such as Pamba Mali is added to the backdrop of a strategic crop that cotton is, linkages will be formed in related agricultural sectors that will catalyze the formation of cottage industries along the cotton value chain.