"Cotton, the fabric of our lives"

Cotton is the most widely produced and used fiber in the world, alongside polyester. Because of this known fact, studying the harsh impacts of cotton cultivation and production is of tremendous importance. Cotton cultivation has two main environmental impacts: water usage and high pesticide use.

In order to farm cotton, a massive amount of water is used; rainfall is ideal for watering the crops, however more often than not, rainfall does not give enough water for cotton to grow. Due to this, “irrigation is used by 53% of the world cotton fields,” as the Sustainability of Cotton explains.  To put it in the perspective, the cultivation of cotton uses “10,000 -17,000 liters of water just to produce 1 kg of cotton lint.” Sustainability of Cotton goes on to explain that “cotton cultivation accounts for 1-6% of the world’s total freshwater withdrawal,” which is substantial. Although, there are alternatives like drip irrigation which reduces the amount of water used immensely.

Fertilizer is another aspect of cotton cultivation that impacts the environment. Manure is usually used in order to reduce the use of harmful chemicals, although there are negatives about the use of animal manure too. Along with this is pesticide use, which is extremely damaging to not only the ozone, but humans. The Sustainability of Cotton tells, “it has been estimated that at the global level annually 40,000 lives are lost due to pesticide application.” One of the most surprising and frightening implications of cotton cultivation is genetic modification. The Sustainability of Cotton notifies that “60-100% higher incidence of various disease symptoms (fatigue, eye irritation, throat irritation, and diarrhea) for humans living or working near sprayed cotton fields relative to the comparison group.” It goes on to tell, “In the USA, a 1987 National Cancer Institute Study found a nearly 7-fold higher risk of leukemia for children whose parents used pesticides in their homes or gardens” (Lotus, 2004). Pesticides used in cotton cultivation can also kill birds and fish. An upside to this, is that organic cotton does not use these pesticides, therefore the problem can be completely eliminated.

Cotton cultivation also causes deforestation. The Sustainability of Cotton states, “the major consequences of deforestation are loss of biodiversity, soil erosion, and contributions to the greenhouse effect.” Therefore, land clearing is not directly related to cotton farming.

The three types of cotton cultivation include: conventional, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and organic. The question is, are any completely sustainable for producing cotton? Conventional cotton farming accounts for 80% of the world’s cotton farming. Of this, China, United States, and India are the main cotton farming countries. IPM accounts for a much less amount – 20%. To better explain IPM the Food and Agriculture Organization define it as: ‘A site-specific strategy for managing insect, weed, disease and other pests in the most cost effective, environmentally sound and socially acceptable way’. And organic farming accounts for a ungenerous 4% of the world’s cotton farming. However, the organic cultivation covers only agriculture land. Turkey and the United States account for the majority of organic cotton cultivation.

The primary indicators of cotton cultivation include: salinistaion and erosion, water depletion, deforestation, eutrophication, wildlife contamination, human health defects, and inhabitants through contamination.  When comparing a type of cotton cultivation one should look at the amount and type of pesticide use – which makes organic look ideal. Because organic still causes environmental issues, no form of cotton cultivation is sustainable. However, there are ways to decrease these impacts. Focusing on the management system helps us identify the ideal cultivation process.