Millions of small scale growers rely on cotton as a cash crop to supplement their subsistence farming, often relying on the income to survive during times of hardship. However, cotton growing accounts for 11% of worldwide pesticide use, and can also cause other environmental problems such as salinisation and water logged soils, conditions which drastically reduce yields and soil fertility and can make cotton growing impossible. Whilst large scale cotton production is still highly profitable, many smallholder cotton farmers struggle because of financial shortcomings such as inadequate keeping of financial records and receiving inputs on credit, which can easily lead farmers into debt. It’s not uncommon for poor debt-ridden farmers in cotton producing areas to take extreme measures and even commit suicide.
During the past five years, hundreds of projects across more than ten countries have been conducted to enable farmers to tackle these problems. These projects have concentrated on developing and disseminating a series of best practices to improve yields, minimise environmental degradation and earn high financial returns. With no overview of the different projects however, beneficial techniques developed in one cotton growing area are not currently being shared more widely, depriving some farmers of optimising their activities and ultimately gaining a better return for their produce.
To overcome this issue and find out which approaches had been most successful, CABI scientists investigated over 900 projects in several important cotton growing regions including China, Pakistan, West Africa, Brazil, India and Turkey. Staff from five international CABI centres used their local contacts and other research tools to collate details of each project which were then analysed for their economic, environmental and social benefits.
The aims of this research are: to produce higher yielding quality cotton and spend less on external inputs which earns farmers more money; to reduce deaths and ill-health related to pesticide toxins; to create more fertile soils by conserving soil moisture; and to ensure the cotton reaches market in pristine condition in sufficient quantities to meet the high demand for quality, sustainable cotton products.
The research findings take into account local and regional variations in cotton growing practices and traditions. A series of forums allow knowledge to be shared and capacity built on a local level.
CABI found that the most common tactic for improving cotton production was to minimise the use of pesticides. As well as being environmentally beneficial, this also saves the farmers significant amounts of capital. Other ways of producing better cotton, such as eliminating toxic pesticides and going organic, may require additional labour for cutting and carrying compost, although this is usually offset by the better prices farmers receive for organic cotton, which is usually around 20%. Thousands of farmers are benefiting from organic production in West Africa.
CABI also found many other success stories throughout the cotton growing regions of the world in a variety of projects. For example, in South Asia, 10,000 farming families have increased their cotton yields by learning about improved agricultural practices at participatory Farmer Field Schools. These allow trained extension workers - or even a local farmer trained during the previous season – to help other local cotton growers understand and practice the new techniques. In Brazil, the farmers grow a strain of cotton with high quality green or brown fibres, which eliminates the need for dye and so cuts pollution and water wastage.
Elsewhere, in Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal, FAO’s Integrated Pest and Production Management approach reduced pesticide use by over half, increased yields by up to 44%, saw production costs drop and revenues improve, and there was also a reduction in the number of recorded pesticide poisonings. The biodiversity of the pest’s natural enemies also increased, whilst the farmers also reported improved food security.
In Tajikistan, the economic problems of cotton production were confronted by protecting the rights and welfare of farmers and workers, reducing debt and increasing access to loans. Irrigation techniques were also remodelled.
Through this exhaustive research, CABI is helping to make best practice techniques in the smallholder cotton growing industry become as widespread as possible.
Better Cotton Initiative Final Report
Ghulam Ali
Address: Pakistan Centre, Opposite 1-A, Data Gunj Baksh Road, Satellite Town, P.O. Box 8, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Tel: +92 (0)51 9290332
Email: g.ali@cabi.org
Kauser Khan
Address: Pakistan Centre, Opposite 1-A, Data Gunj Baksh Road, Satellite Town, P.O. Box 8, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Tel: +92 (0)51 9290332
Email: k.khan@cabi.org
Lalit Saini
Address: 2nd Floor, CG Block, NASC Complex, DP Shastri Marg, Opp. Todapur Village, PUSA, New Delhi - 110012, India
Tel:
Email: l.saini@cabi.org
Feng Zhang
Address: C/o CAAS-CABI Project Office, C/o Internal Post Box 56, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 12 Zhongguancun Nandajie, Beijing 100081, China
Tel: +86 10 82105692
Email: f.zhang@cabi.org