The People Behind the Project
The Regenerative Organic Cotton Pilot Project wouldn’t be happening without the people behind it. Let’s meet some of them
Senem Gökçe Okulu — Project Manager and Regenerative Agriculture expert at WWF-Turkey.
Gökçe is our main point of contact on the ground in Turkey. She has a background in regenerative farming and has been working at WWF since 2018 within the field of sustainable cotton agriculture. Originally from Ankara, the capital of Turkey, she now lives outside Izmir. Gökçe is incredibly excited about bringing this project together. The passion comes from a drive to envision a new model of regenerative agriculture in the area by bringing farmers and fashion brands like Organic Basics together.
Ali — Organic Cotton Farmer in Germancik, Turkey.
Ali is our new regenerative organic cotton farmer. He has been farming for 30 years together with his family in Aydın since he was young. Currently he farms organic cotton and Alfa Alfa on a 78 ha piece of land and he lives with his wife and daughter in his hometown, Germancik. To begin with, Ali will begin by transitioning 3 ha of organic cotton land into regenerative organic cotton and over-time this area will expand to at least 6 ha. Although this is just the beginning of the project, Ali is excited to see the farm will progress, to learn new methods and hopefully inspire other farmers in the area to adopt regenerative practices.
Anja Buchcik — Chief Impact Officer at Organic Basics.
Anja is the project lead here at Organic Basics for the Regenerative Organic Cotton Pilot Project and she has been working here since early 2019 within the field of sustainability. As Chief Impact Officer, Anja oversees the implementation of all sustainability related projects, certifications and processes. With Polish parents, but born in Lüdenscheid, Germany, she moved to Copenhagen in 2017 to pursue a career at the intersection of sustainability and innovation. Anja is incredibly passionate about our Regenerative Organic Cotton Pilot Project and its potential to drastically reduce our environmental footprint and mitigate climate change over time.
