Better Cotton is the world’s leading sustainability initiative for cotton. Our mission is to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment.
In just over 10 years we have become the world’s largest cotton sustainability programme. Our mission: to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment.
Better Cotton is grown in 22 countries around the world and accounts for 22% of global cotton production. In the 2022-23 cotton season, 2.13 million licensed Better Cotton Farmers grew 5.47 million tonnes of Better Cotton.
Today Better Cotton has more than 2,700 members, reflecting the breadth and diversity of the industry. Members of a global community that understands the mutual benefits of sustainable cotton farming. The moment you join, you become part of this too.
The founding premise of Better Cotton is that a healthy sustainable future for cotton and the people that farm it is in the interests of everyone connected with it.
Let us help you find what you’re looking for
Results for {phrase} ({results_count} of {results_count_total})
Displaying {results_count} results of {results_count_total}
ByLisa Barratt, Africa Operations Manager and Abdoul Aziz Yanogo West Africa Regional Manager – both Better Cotton.
Healthy soils are vital to growing flourishing cotton crops and improving livelihoods. At Better Cotton we work closely with partners on the ground to help cotton farming communities adopt better soil health practices. We develop a full understanding of local challenges and aim for practical, effective and affordable techniques, so that they’re accessible to smallholders. Together, we focus on continuously raising farmers’ yields and lowering their environmental impacts by safeguarding the future of their soils.
In 2021, the Better Cotton Mali Team undertook one such project, working with our longstanding Implementing Partner, Compagnie Malienne pour le Développement des Textiles (CMDT), to help demonstrate the impact of sustainable soil management techniques to Better Cotton Farmers. We often find that it helps farmers to see the benefits of a certain technique before they try it on their own farm, so they can see that it works. That’s why we bring it to life for them through demonstration plots in their communities, where they can see exactly how improving soil health, for example, leads to healthier, more resilient crops.
Lisa Barratt & Abdoul Aziz Yanogo
Understanding Soil Health Challenges in Mali
Cotton is Mali’s principal crop and second largest export. However, cotton farmers in Mali face multiple challenges, including irregular weather and shorter growing seasons, fluctuating prices and high input costs, and poor soil health. In particular, the soils are low in organic matter, so the plants aren’t benefitting from the nutrients inherent to healthy, thriving, biodiverse soils. They’re also low in the vital minerals all plants need like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
Action on the Ground
Our aim was to raise awareness of local soil heath challenges, explain the benefit of sustainable practices, and work together with farmers to implement action plans, based on practical demonstrations and field-based support. We also supported soil testing as an important means of checking soil health to help inform any fertilisation efforts.
This began with understanding how farmers currently fertilised their fields. We interviewed 120 farmers to get an idea of prevalent practices. We also identified four good demonstration plots and sent soil samples for laboratory analysis. Among our findings, we noticed that farmers were applying the same level of mineral fertilisers to all their fields (despite the different needs of the soil), the organic matter they were adding wasn’t enough in relation to the soil’s needs, and they weren’t including enough legumes when rotating crops.
We adapted our training to suit their needs, starting with training those CDMT representatives who’d be helping farmers on the ground. From there, we were ready to develop a three-year plan that would really help farmers move forward and grow healthier crops. The goals of the plan include reducing the use of synthetic fertilisers and improving soil organic matter, which assists in improving soil moisture retention.
So what did we recommend?
All the practices we advised were designed to restore, maintain, and monitor soil fertility. For example, in addition to taking soil samples and having them analysed, we recommended using well-decomposed organic manure, which farmers could get from local cattle farmers or their own cattle. We also recommended adding mineral fertilisers to ensure the right levels of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, all vital for healthy crop growth. To help preserve the soil’s natural structure, promote moisture retention and reduce erosion, we also proposed reducing the frequency and depth of tillage (whereby farmers churn up the soil to prepare the fields for sowing). Instead, we suggested that farmers use dry hoeing and dry scraping to help the soil retain its structure.
Cotton plot with a stone border to protect the field against water erosion
Use of organic manure on cotton plot before ploughing
To further prevent erosion, we suggested ploughing along the contour lines or forming ridges perpendicular to the slope top help retain rainwater in the field. And to improve levels of organic matter in the soil, we integrated woody legumes such as mimosa and acacia, which can be used as mulch to promote better soil once they’re harvested. This is fundamental to improving soil fertility. And to give the soil a rest from growing one type of crop exclusively, we recommended a soil rotation system, including these legumes.
What next?
As we establish the demonstration plots in 2022, we’ll keep supporting farmers throughout, monitoring their progress and helping them to achieve continuous improvement. Importantly, these efforts will help us to develop a similar programme in Mozambique, and they’ll also help inform Better Cotton’s 2030 soil health target to support all Better Cotton Farmers in achieving healthier soils.
We are pleased to announce that registration for the Better Cotton Conference 2022 is now open!
Hosted in a hybrid format—with both virtual and in-person options for joining—we look forward to the opportunity to bring our global cotton community together and engage face-to-face once again.
Date: 22 – 23 June 2022 Location: Malmö, Sweden or join us online Audience: Public Price: Early bird tickets start at €272 (excl. VAT)
Photo Credit: BCI/Florian Lang
Location: Surendranagar, Gujarat, India. 2018.
Description: An farm-worker is preparing a field with the help of a manual plough, which is drawn by bulls for cotton cultivation.
By Alan McClay, CEO, Better Cotton. This opinion piece was first published by Reuters Events on 9 March 2022.
Irreversible ecosystem collapse is looming. If nothing is done to stop it, farming systems face a potentially catastrophic future, with severe implications for society the world over.
This isn’t hyperbole. It’s the verdict of hundreds of the world’s leading climate scientists, as recently expressed in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) latest report. The writing is already on the wall. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), over one third of the world’s soils are already degraded due to erosion, salinisation, compacting, acidification and chemical pollution. The result? An absence of the diversity of life that is integral to nourishing plants and crops.
The core idea of regenerative agriculture is that farming can give back to, rather than take from, the soil and society.
As every farmer knows, healthy soil is the foundation of productive agriculture. Not only does it help cycle nutrients and filter water, it helps increase resilience to climate change by returning carbon to the ground. Cue the new buzzword on the block, “regenerative agriculture”. From one day to the next, the phrase seems to be everywhere, from the mouths of climate advocates to the speeches of leading politicians. Not since the “Green Revolution” of the 1950s has a farming-related buzzword gathered so much pace so quickly. As ever, critics have not been slow in coming forward. Their arguments follow conventional lines. Some say the term lacks rigour – “regenerative”, “organic”, “sustainable”, “carbon-smart”, all spawn from the same woolly basket. Others maintain that it’s an old idea rehashed in modern clothing. What were the earliest agriculturalists of the Fertile Crescent if not regenerative farmers?
Such criticisms hide more than a little truth. The term regenerative agriculture can certainly mean different things to different people. And, yes, it does embrace concepts such as reduced tilling, crop rotation and cover crops that, in some cases, go back millennia. But to gripe about terminology is to miss the point. For one, the vagaries of definition are not nearly as great or problematic as some like to claim. The core idea of regenerative agriculture – namely, that farming can give back to, rather than take from, the soil and society – is hardly controversial.
Fuzzy terminology can confuse consumers and, worse still, facilitate greenwashing.
Secondly, farming techniques vary enormously, meaning specific methodologies are always going to be hard to pin down. Practices pursued by farmers in west Africa, where the soil is notoriously infertile, for instance, will be different from those adopted in India, where pests and erratic weather are chief concerns.
Thirdly, lack of complete consensus doesn’t necessarily lead to a complete lack of action. Take the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals; the specifics of each goal may not please everyone, but they please people enough to amass a huge amount of collective energy.
In a similar vein, fresh terms can refresh our thinking. A decade ago, conversations about soil health and crop yields tended heavily towards the technical. A little less fertiliser here, a little more fallow time there. Today, with talk of regenerative agriculture increasingly widespread, extractivist agriculture itself is now on the table for debate.
Of course, clear definitions are important. In their absence, misunderstandings can arise in practice that slow or even undermine the transition to more sustainable farming. Likewise, fuzzy terminology can confuse consumers and, worse still, facilitate greenwashing. In this regard, Textile Exchange’s recently published Landscape Analysis of regenerative agriculture marks a valuable and timely contribution. Built through dialogue at all levels of the farming community, it establishes an important set of basic principles that all major players can get behind.
We especially welcome the report’s acknowledgement of benefits beyond carbon storage and emission reductions – important as both certainly are. Regenerative agriculture is not a one-trick pony. Improvements to soil health, habitat protection and water systems are just some of the other ancillary environmental benefits it delivers.
We see the fact of regenerative agriculture now being on everyone’s lips as a huge positive.
Likewise, as an organisation committed to improving the livelihoods of millions of cotton producers, the emphasis on social outcomes is also to be applauded. As critical actors in the agricultural system, the voices of farmers and workers are fundamental to deciding how regenerative farming is framed and what outcomes it should aim for.
To reiterate, we see the fact of regenerative agriculture now being on everyone’s lips as a huge positive. Not only is the unsustainability of today’s intensive, input-heavy farming increasingly well understood, so too is the contribution that regenerative models can make to turning this around. The challenge going forward is to turn growing awareness into on-the-ground action. The issues that regenerative farming seek to address are urgent. At Better Cotton, we’re big believers in continuous improvement. Rule number one? Get out of the blocks and get started.
One key lesson we have learned over the last decade or so is that effective action won’t happen without an effective strategy to back it up. That’s why we encourage our participating field-level partners to establish a comprehensive soil management plan, spelling out tangible steps for improving soil biodiversity and preventing land degradation. Another crucial impetus to action is telling a convincing story. Farmers won’t transition from what they know on the basis of anecdotes and promises. Hard evidence is required. And, for that, investment in monitoring and data research is needed.
Fashions, by nature, move on. In the case of regenerative agriculture, expect definitions to be refined and approaches to be revised. As a basic concept of how we ought to farm, however, it is firmly here to stay. Neither the planet nor farmers can afford it otherwise.
From an early age, Narjis developed a special love and affinity for agriculture and nature. Her mother, who was a cotton picker and a leader for women workers’ rights, inspired her to support women in the cotton sector. WWF-Pakistan appointed her as a Field Facilitator in 2018. Narjis has since trained countless women from the local villages and communities on better cotton-picking practices.
What inspired you to work with women in the cotton sector?
Agriculture being our family business, I loved it since childhood. My father was a farmer, and my mother was a cotton picker. After completing my studies, I used to go cotton picking with my mother. Along with cotton picking, my mother was also a leader for women workers’ rights. Some of the farmers either used to pay fewer wages or did not provide clean drinking water and she wanted to change this. I was inspired by my mother’s commitment to workers’ rights, and I wanted to do something for the workers too.
What motivates you in your role as a Field Facilitator?
The aim of our project is to promote Better Cotton cultivation to make cotton production better for the grower, better for the environment and better for the cotton industry. By training women workers on the principles of Better Cotton, I can play my role in producing sustainable cotton, and I can improve their social and economic resources. I can also contribute to the benefits of innovation in agriculture and play a role in saving nature. That’s why I wish to drive innovation in agriculture to provide a brighter future for my children. I love nature so much that I want to work for its survival.
Can you tell us about one of the biggest challenges you’ve had to face as a woman in the cotton sector?
When I started working for WWF-Pakistan, I faced a lot of problems because my family did not want me to work. No one from my family would take me to the field and there was no public transport facility in our area. I had to learn how to ride a motorbike by myself. I fell several times and suffered many injuries, but I did not give up. In the end, all my hard work paid off. I have been riding my motorbike for three years now and going to the field on my bike has inspired a lot of other women.
Can you share any examples of new practices that have led to positive change?
We train women workers on the benefits of using personal protective equipment when working in the field. We show them how to cover their head before picking, use face masks, cover their hands with gloves and use cotton cloth for cotton picking. I am very glad that so many women are now following safer practices.
What are your hopes for the cotton communities you work in?
I hope that our training will encourage more children to go to school and that our cotton growing society will grow their cotton in line with the Better Cotton Principles. I also hope that workers’ rights will be respected, and natural resources not misused. I hope that our cotton community will protect the environment and adopt water saving methods, protect biodiversity and pay equal wages. I hope that no one will ever be discriminated against based on their caste, colour, race, or religion. Finally, I hope that workers will have freedom of association and women will have equal rights with men.
Do you want to know what the largest cotton sustainability programme in the world is up to? Keep up to date with the latest developments and hear from BCI Farmers, Partners and Members in the new BCI Quarterly Newsletter. BCI Members also receive a Monthly Member Update.
Leave a few details below and you’ll receive the next newsletter.
We’ve updated our Data Privacy Policy
These updates are intended to reflect changes to the Better Cotton Platform’s default sharing settings and data use in our Audit management system.
You don’t need to do anything to accept these changes – they’re effective from today, 2 April 2025.
You can read the full text by visiting our Data Privacy Policy page.
