Over the last decade cotton has become more sustainable. A major annual report was recently published by Better Cotton where they highlighted the progress made in India from 2014 to 2022, that has dramatically reduced the water and pesticide use and improved the livelihoods of these cotton farmers. They found that during this period Indian farmers use of pesticides decreased by 53% and water usage dropped by almost a third.
Close to a million farmers, who enrolled in the Better Cotton Program, which was launched in India in 2011, saw their costs come down by 15.6% per hectare of land. This was achieved by a reduction in expenses for land preparation and fertiliser costs. The average cotton lint yield per hectare in 2021 was 650 kilograms for Better Cotton Farmers. This was 200kg per hectare more than the national average.
They believe these results are due to the adoption of strengthening trainings on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and the delivery of effective awareness campaigns.
2.9 million farmers in 23 countries are receiving training on sustainable farming practices. 2.2 million farmers have earned Better Cotton licenses. One-fifth of the world’s cotton is grown under the Better Cotton Standard.
Photo: (c) Better Cotton India
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/water-and-pesticide-use-cut-nearly-in-half-better-cotton-in-india/
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