BCI celebrates cotton farming on World Cotton Day

07 Oct '20

2 min read

Pic: Shutterstock

On World Cotton Day 2020, the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is celebrating the cotton farming communities. Various cotton farmers from across the globe have shared their stories and details on how they are embedding sustainability into their farming practices. BCI is a non-profit organisation and the largest cotton sustainability programme in the world.

“Promoting and embedding sustainability within cotton farming is more essential than ever. The Better Cotton Initiative exists to improve farmer livelihoods through the adoption of more sustainable practices. This past year has been challenging, but every crisis carries an opportunity. I applaud all the cotton farming communities around the globe that have adapted and persevered, and on World Cotton Day, I would like to thank them for their invaluable contributions to the sector,” Alan McClay, CEO, Better Cotton Initiative

“It all began back in 2012, when a group of us BCI Farmers in Kanakya village set up a committee to help other farmers in our community use pesticides and fertilisers more efficiently. We wanted to promote plant-based natural alternatives, but they weren’t readily available locally, so we had to find a way to make it easier for farmers to gain access to these products at reasonable prices. And we also had to convince them to change their ways by showing them the results in the field,” BCI farmer Balubhai Parmar from India said in a press release.

“Through BCI, we have supported women farmers in multiple ways, from more efficient harvesting techniques to raising their awareness of the importance of equal pay through special role play sketches for radio and television. We have also trained more than 2,000 women in leadership, which has given rise to the emergence of women leaders capable of promoting the interests of women in the cotton sector,” BCI darmer Mustafa Bülbül from Turkey said.

“Preventing child labour is a priority. In the past, families in our region have not traditionally considered child labour to be a problem, but through the ‘Toward Decent Working Conditions in Cotton Farms in Sanliurfa’ project, we’ve learnt how important it is to address social issues in Sanliurfa. We require our labour contractors to ensure the workers are not below the legal minimum age, and we deliver training to seasonal migrant workers so they know they can’t bring their children to work with them,” agronomist Tata Djire from Mali said.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (GK)

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