COTTON & SUSTAINABILITY

Cotton is the one of the most utilized fibers and can be very tricky due to how susceptible it is to drought, affects from the climate and insect attacks.  Another downside concerning cotton is the colossal amounts of water it requires in cultivation. Cultivation through irrigation requires 10,000-17,000 to produce ONLY 1 kg and while it is applied to 53% of the world’s cotton fields it produces about 73% of the world’s cotton.

When discussing the environmental impact that cotton production causes much land to be abandoned (a SHOCKING 8% of the world) with the sole reason being soil salinsation. “Irrigation water dissolves calcium carbonate and soluble salts in the soil. Since calcium carbonate is relatively insoluble, it accumulates in the topsoil leading to additional salt deposition and water logging.” (The Sustainability of Cotton: consequences for man and environment)  It has been estimated that one third of the land used for irrigation purposes is affected by salinity or in the future will be; this is definitely something that the world needs to start worry about.

“Cotton is produced in more than 100 countries, with 78% of all cotton produced in 6 countries.” China is the main producer of cotton while the United States comes in second. While 90% of the cotton cultivation done by flood-irrigation, “5% furrow, 3% drip and 2% sprinkler irrigation” the United States only is responsible for 41% irrigation. (The Sustainability of Cotton: consequences for man and environment) With China being the main producer of cotton, responsible for 24% of the world’s cotton, new implements in the manufacturing of cotton need to begin here and spread to the other main producers in cotton. Because of the low cost of production in China it seems hard to fathom that a country so efficient in production would change their ways.

When watching a video online called Cotton & Water: White, blue, and green I learned that they spoke about how the “Golden Age of Water is over” and we can no longer afford to waste water in any way. Growing the cotton, the most important of the three primary links in the cotton chain, is seeing the most advancements which leaves me optimistic for the future in cotton.

Cotton Today believes that due to the latest strategies and irrigation systems used today and the fact that most of the cotton production in the United States is done so through rainfall and only uses irrigation during dry periods the world is considerably more proficient in its water use than prior decades.