Sustainable Farming with Better Cotton

The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is a global sustainable farming program launched in 2010. BCI aims to improve environmental and social outcomes in cotton farming. Between 2010 and 2025, participating farms in China, India, and Pakistan reduced water use by 10–14%. These farms reduced pesticide use by 12–23%, and fertilizer use by 8–16%. Their yields increased by 9–12% and farmer profitability rose by 17–35%.

The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) aims to foster voluntary action by the commercial sector to enhance sustainability in cotton production. Initiated through research from 2006 to 2009 and implemented from 2010 to date, BCI focuses on reducing water and pesticide use, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, increasing yields and farmer profits, and addressing social issues such as child labor and gender equality.

The initiative has led to a 10-14% reduction in water use at participating farms in China, India, and Pakistan, with annual water use dropping by 1.1 billion cubic meters in India alone. Synthetic pesticide use decreased by 12-23%, and synthetic fertilizer use dropped by 8-16%. Yields increased by 9-12%, and profitability rose by 17-35%. BCI’s approach, involving global retailers and NGOs, includes training and capacity building through local partners and field facilitators, systematic data collection, and third-party verification. The initiative continues to expand, covering countries such as India, Brazil, and sub-Saharan Africa, and aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions per ton of Better Cotton by 50% from a 2017 baseline.

The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) applies core social marketing principles including explicit social goals, citizen-focused planning, measurable social value, audience segmentation, barrier reduction, and ethical practice. It promotes sustainable agriculture through training, stakeholder engagement, and data-driven evaluation. BCI addresses child labor, gender equality, and climate change while improving farmer livelihoods and environmental outcomes.

This open access case study is available on the Tools of Change website at https://www.toolsofchange.com/en/case-studies/detail/771

Brazil, India, Pakistan, West & Central Africa, China, Sub-Saharan Africa, Turkey, and Tajikistan

Africa; Asia; Latin America and the Caribbean; Brazil, India, Pakistan, West & Central Africa, China, Sub-Saharan Africa, Turkey, and Tajikistan

Sustainable agriculture, cotton farming, water conservation, greenhouse gas reduction, social impact, child labor, gender equality, climate change