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Volatile Cotton Sector Struggles to Balance Cost and Benefits
New Worldwatch Institute analysis explores trends and impacts of global cotton production
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Washington D.C. - February 17 2015 (www.investorideas.com newswire) Growing cotton provides livelihoods for an estimated 100 million households in as many as 85 countries. But adverse global market conditions and reliance on large doses of water fertilizer and pesticides impose considerable social and environmental costs writes Michael Renner senior researcher at the Worldwatch Institute in the Institute's latest Vital Signs Online article (www.worldwatch.org).
Although synthetic materials are making inroads cotton remains by far the most important natural fiber for textiles. In 2013/14 an estimated 26.3 million tons of cotton were produced worldwide.
Cultivating cotton accounts for about 3 percent of all agricultural water use worldwide. Countries that import cotton or finished cotton products also bring in large amounts of embedded "virtual water" with these imports and have considerable water footprints. Producing a pair of jeans takes an estimated 10850 liters of water and a t-shirt takes 2720 liters.
The legions of small cotton farmers around the world face a set of challenges largely beyond their control. In addition to unfair subsidies (totaling $47 billion between 2001 and 2010 for the United States China and Europe) they must deal with health risks from pesticide use and in some cases insurmountable levels of debt.
Cotton is a very pesticide-intensive crop (accounting for 16 percent of global insecticide use and 6.8 percent of herbicide use) with potential repercussions such as pest resistance and adverse health impacts on farmers that range from acute poisoning to long-term effects. Pesticides and fertilizer (nitrogen phosphorus potash) can also leach out of the plant's root zone and contaminate groundwater and surface water.
Sadly severe indebtedness has caused an estimated 100000 cotton farmers in India to commit suicide over a 10-year period. Indebtedness results from numerous factors including the rising cost of pesticides and genetically modified seeds low yields due to droughts and the declining price that cotton fetches on world markets.
Several initiatives exist to improve the social and environmental conditions under which cotton is produced. In organic production synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are replaced with organic substances soil fertility management and integrated pest management. Fair trade producers usually small family farms organized in cooperatives or associations receive a minimum price covering the average costs of sustainable production as well as a premium.
One effort the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) seeks to reduce the environmental impact of cotton production improve the livelihoods of farmers and promote decent work. In 2013 just 3.7 percent of all cotton was produced in accordance with BCI principles but the goal for 2020 is to extend this to 30 percent and to involve 5 million farmers. Such initiatives offer important benefits to cotton farmers. But for the moment at least they account for only a relatively small share of the industry.
For more information and to obtain a complimentary copy of "Volatile Cotton Sector Struggles to Balance Cost and Benefits" please contact Gaelle Gourmelon. Click to preview the trend.
About the Worldwatch Institute:
Worldwatch is an independent research organization based in Washington D.C. that works on energy resource and environmental issues. The Institute's State of the World report is published annually in more than a dozen languages. For more information visit www.worldwatch.org.
About Vital Signs Online:
Vital Signs Online provides business leaders policymakers and engaged citizens with the latest data and analysis they need to understand critical global trends. It is an interactive subscription-based tool that provides hard data and research-based insights on the sustainability trends that are shaping our future. All of the trends include clear analysis and are placed in historical perspective allowing you to see where the trend has come from and where it might be headed. New trends cover emerging hot topics-from global carbon emissions to green jobs-while trend updates provide the latest data and analysis for the fastest changing and most important trends today. Every trend includes full datasets and complete referencing. Click here to subscribe today to Vital Signs Online.
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