Better Cotton Initiative Farmers Achieve Tangible Results Through More Sustainable Farming Practices

Image Courtesy of Better Cotton Initiative

In the 2018-19 cotton season*, the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) and our on-the-ground partners provided training on more sustainable farming practices to more than 2.3 million cotton farmers in 23 countries.

With BCI training, support and capacity building, BCI Farmers are better equipped to tackle pertinent issues in cotton production – such as water use, pest management and gender equality – and produce cotton in a way that is measurably better for themselves, the environment and farming communities.

Each cotton season, BCI and partners collect data from BCI Farmers to monitor and assess a range of social, environmental and economic indicators. BCI provides an analysis of this data through our annual Farmer Results report, and we’re pleased to now release the 2018-19 edition.

Highlights

Here are some key highlights from six countries where the Better Cotton Standard System was implemented in the 2018-19 season – China, India, Mali, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Turkey.

Environmental

• BCI Farmers in Pakistan used 15% less synthetic fertiliser.

• BCI Farmers in Mali used 31% fewer pesticides.

• BCI Farmers in Tajikistan applied biopesticides 8% more often.

• BCI Farmers in China used 10% less water.

Economic

• BCI Farmers in India achieved 11% higher yields.

• BCI Farmers in Pakistan achieved 38% higher profits.

Social

• In Turkey, 73% of BCI Farmers had advanced awareness of child labour issues.

• In Mali, 39% of BCI Farmers and farm workers trained on more sustainable farming practices were women.

All BCI Farmer results are relative to the results achieved by Comparison Farmers (non-BCI farmers in the same geographic area who are not participating in the BCI programme). e.g. BCI Farmers in Pakistan used 15% less synthetic fertiliser than Comparison Farmers.