There is hope!

Cotton is the most widely known and worn fiber in the world. Cotton is hypoallergenic, dust-mite resistant, is easy to care for and wicks away moisture. It really is a great fabric to have in your closet. But very few consumers know how exactly cotton is grown. While in the past of the production of cotton has been extremely destructive and has forced new technologies and practices to make cotton sustainable.

The largest producers of cotton in the world are China, USA, India, Pakistan and Brazil. A reason that cotton is so popular to grow is because it is a cash crop. Cotton is selling for 94 to 104 cents per pound. Cotton is originally thought to require a huge amount of water but actually continues to grow with little use of water. To grow so there are various irrigation practices used to produce. The most popular way is flood-and-furrow. This method creates small trenches so water can move from a water source (such as a lake) to the plants. This method of irrigation is also the least expensive form of irrigation. The problem with this water system, cited by The Sustainability of Cotton: Consequences For Man and Environment, is that only about 40% of the water makes it to the crops. That leaves 60% of the water used as runoff. The inadequate management of water leads to soil salinization – is excessive buildup of salt on the topsoil. This leads to lands being abandoned and this destructive cycle begins again. Another problem for cotton growers is soil erosion.

Another serious area of concern is the continuous use of the same soil that causes a loss of nutrients. This problem can be resolved by the use of planting crops that help replace nutrients to the soil. These crops include peanuts, legumes, and grasses. While this can be solution, very few producers want to switch their production to some other crop because some are not as profitable as cotton.

The excessive use of pesticides has become a serious problem for cotton producers. The excess use not only makes pests resistant to the pesticides but also gets carried off through runoff water. In developing countries this runoff can be used as drinking water and cause health problems. Developing countries, such as India, use very strong and dangerous chemicals to worker’s health. I have attached a video link that I hope you will take a few minutes to watch. While pesticides are showing a promising future in technological advances, many of these advances are often too costly for family-ran cotton farms to use in developing countries.

In closing, while cotton is making great strides in more efficient and sustainable ways for growing and manufacturing cotton. I do beleive that these ways are making cotton a great sustainable option to other fibers. The down side that these advances can be costly to the poor farmer. I feel that there should be susidiaries and free workshops available, by the government, for these farmers. It will not only help the farmers become more productive and knowledgable but help the environment.