Innovations and Better Management Practices for Climate Resilient and Sustainable Cotton Production 15-16 December, 2010

Abstract

The Cotton crop in India supports 60 million people directly and indirectly through the processes of production, processing, marketing and trade. Majority of the cotton producers (5.6 million, 88% of all cotton growers) are small holders with an average holding size of 1.5 ha. The cash crop is cultivated intensively in both irrigated and rainfed situations across several States in India and in general farmers are passionate about its cultivation and readily adopt new technologies related to seed, fertilizers or new pesticide molecules. In the process resources are injudiciously used unmindful of the economic risk at the individual level and ecological consequences at the agroecosystem level. Cotton, be it Bt-cotton now or conventional cotton then, is always beset with environmental concerns due to the management practices followed by farmers. Among the production related concerns are: loss of diversity due to widespread monoculture in some regions which earlier supported diverse crops and their cultivars; inappropriate irrigation management practices in canal command areas and over-exploitation of groundwater and mismanagement of surface water in rainfed areas resulting in lower water productivity in both irrigated and rainfed areas; ecological imbalances due to high nitrogenous inorganic fertilizer use and hazardous pesticide use; a negative carbon footprint due to excessive tillage, input use and burning of crop residues all associated with long-term adverse impacts on the quality and sustainable use of natural resources, animal and human health.