Brazilian farmers rely on environmentally friendly cotton

The road through Cristalina, Brazil is in the middle of the tropics, but the fields on either side look like they’re covered in snow—little white cotton balls that stretch to the horizon.

The alabaster plants that dot the corn and soybean fields outside the west-central city are part of a silent revolution in Brazil: Faced with negative attention to the environmental impact of agribusiness, farmers are increasingly turning to cotton and adopting sustainable techniques to produce it .

After a 15-fold increase in exports over the past two decades, Brazil is now the second largest cotton supplier in the world after the US – and the largest producer of sustainable cotton.

No less than 84 percent of the cotton grown in the South American agricultural giant is certified by the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), an international non-profit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable cotton cultivation.

“Consumers have changed. People don’t want to buy products any more than they don’t want to respect nature and its cycles,” says Cristina Schetino, an entomologist specializing in cotton cultivation at the University of Brasilia.

The industry is trying to improve the international image of Brazilian agriculture, which has been tarnished by a history of slave labor, heavy use of pesticides and the destruction of the Amazon rainforest for agriculture, a trend that has accelerated under far-right President Jair Bolsonaro – an agribusiness ally.

In 2005, the Brazilian Cotton Producers’ Association (Abrapa) launched a sustainability training program for farmers and introduced protocols on the efficient use of water and pesticides, and the phasing out of toxic products in favor of organic fertilizers.

A new traceability program launched with Brazilian clothing brands allows consumers to verify how cotton goods were made.

Last season, cotton farmers in Brazil replaced 34 percent of chemical pesticides with organic ones, Abrapa says.

They have also started using drones to apply pesticides more efficiently.

Switching to sustainable techniques is “a reeducation process,” says Marcio Portocarreiro, CEO of Arapa.

“Initially, farmers tend to think manly about the impact on their bottom line. But once they’re past that stage…they realize that sustainable farming gives them a guaranteed market,” he told AFP.

Located outside of Cristalina, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of Brasilia, the capital, Fazenda Pamplona is one of Brazil’s biggest advocates of sustainable cotton.

Run by agribusiness giant SLC Agricola, the 27,000-acre operation is like a small town in the country, with a banquet hall, children’s park, sports fields and staff housing.

The farm is designed to keep workers by creating a home they want to stay in, says production coordinator Diego Goldschmidt.

He stands in front of two huge bales of cotton marked with QR codes detailing their harvest.

“They’ve already been sold,” he beams.

The farm produced more than 600,000 tons last year, 99 percent of it for export.

Sustainable cotton is sold at prices up to 10 percent higher than conventional cotton.

“Not only is it the right thing for society and the environment, it also offers added value,” says Goldschmidt.

But cotton remains one of the most pesticide-intensive crops, consuming more than twice as much soybean per hectare.

The problem is the proliferation of pests like the weevil and the lack of organic products to stop them, says Schetino.

“There are still many dependencies on chemical products that have negative effects on the environment,” says the entomologist, who is researching alternatives.

Brazil grows around 1.6 million hectares of cotton every year. It is a key supplier to the global apparel industry, exporting to China, Vietnam, Pakistan and Turkey, among others.

Arapa has set itself the ambitious goal of overtaking the USA and becoming the world’s largest supplier of cotton by 2030.

“Brazil may not yet have a good image when it comes to sustainable agriculture,” says Goldschmidt.

“But we will soon. There is a lot of potential.”