Is the current cultivation of cotton sustainable? I do not believe it is, but it is heading that way. Cotton is known to be a thirsty crop. According to the Sustainability of Cotton reading this week, it takes approximately 10,000-17,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of cotton. That is a lot of water usage for a very small amount of product. The report talks about different ways to lower the amount of water usage for cotton cultivation. One of those ways is a type of irrigation system called drip irrigation. It is said to be one of the most efficient water usage systems out there with an efficiency percentage of 90-98%. This also goes along with a video on the Cotton, Inc. website called Cotton & Water: White, Blue and Green. It shows different forms of irrigation systems and talks about their efficiency. The video also concludes that drip irrigation is one of the most efficient ways to water cotton crops. The only problem with this drip system is the cost. Because of this cost, there is only a small percentage of these systems in use around the world. There are developments underway however to reduce the costs of this system considerably. According to the Sustainability of Cotton report, there are currently a range of low cost drip systems on the market for small-holders.
Along with many other factors in cotton cultivation including, fertilizer use, pests and diseases, pesticide use, defoliation, genetically modified cotton, etc; irrigation of the cotton crop is a major factor in its production and processing. I believe we are already headed in the right direction by addressing the different issues in the textile industry, starting with cotton. I just hope that we will be able to implement different changes into the industry before we are past the point where we can make a difference in the world.
Hey Jamie! I agree we've taken the first step in identifying cotton production's negative by-products, but we still have a long way to go. What do you think about organic cotton production? Do you see a future for its expansion or do you think we should focus on more efficiency in fertilizer, pesticide, and water usage in conventional management?
ReplyDeleteHi Brittney, I believe that organic cotton will only go so far, although it does have a lot of benefits in the way it is grown. In my opinion though, I think we need to focus more on making water usage, fertilizers, pesticides, etc both more efficient and come up with ways to make them better for the environment. We do definitely have a long way to go with cotton production though.
ReplyDeleteWow, Brittney and Jamie, you guys are on the ball this week! I'd like to piggy-back on Brittney's question and ask, How do compare the organic solution to the genetically modified solution to conventional cotton farming?
ReplyDeleteHello Jamie. I to found it surprising how much water was used for cotton! Do you think that large drips systems are the right way to go? I'm talking about the largest of farms, particularly here in America.
ReplyDeleteHi Dr. Armstrong, I think that the organic solution is an overall good solution, the genetically modified solution is in the middle and that conventional cotton farming is at the bottom. I believe that organic is the way to go. There are pluses to using the genetically modified cotton though, because of its improved usage of resources. But all together, I think that things need to improve in the cotton industry.
ReplyDeleteHi Josh, I think that the drip system is one that should be used in almost all farming productions. It has the highest efficiency rating, so we just need to make it more affordable for producers. Looking into the alternative options as mentioned in the report is a start at least.
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