Organic cotton - the benefits for the environment and people

Organic cotton is grown without the use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides or genetically modified seeds. Crop rotation with other organic crops, manure and compost  are used as an alternative to chemical fertilisers in the cultivation of organic cotton. All of these methods help to preserve and increase the fertility of the soil. Pesticides are replaced with herbal extracts or the cultivation of trap crops.

There are significant ecological benefits associated with organic cotton as opposed to conventional cotton including the elimination of ground water pollution from leached pesticides and soil pollution and the reduction of water needed for irrigation. Organic cotton eliminates the health hazards for farmers from toxic agro chemicals. Their financial risk is also reduced considerably as they do not need to buy fertilisers and pesticides.

Although organic cotton still only accounts for a small proportion of the world’s cotton production, an increasing number of farmers are converting to cultivation of organic cotton.

Picture from Helvetas