King Cotton.

Up until now I had no idea the scale of cotton production around the world.  Like many consumers, I just had not thought about it at all.  I go to the store, and there are clothes there to buy.  According to the reading, "Cotton production involves about 20 million farmers who completely depend upon cotton production and another 30 million farmers who include cotton into their rotation scheme."  As with all farming there is conventional farming which uses pesticides and fertilizers, and organic cotton which uses neither.  Water consumption is a large concern with cotton because in order to increase yields, farmers use extensive irrigation systems.  I do not believe that we can convert all cotton farms back to organic, but with some help, the industry can become more responsible farmers.

Not surprisingly, China is the largest producer of cotton, accounting for "24% of total world production."  What I did find surprising is that "100% of the farm sizes are less than 6 hectares."  While the US accounted for "19% of total world production" and "10% of the farms are 20-100 hectares and 90% are greater than 100 hectares."  This is quite a difference!  And for reference, one hectare is 2.47 acres.  Now, where the real concern is with this is when water use is factored in.  In China, there are "14 million farmers directly involved in cotton production" and in the US, there are "25000 farmers."  This has an impact with how quickly water conservation issues can be spread and implemented.  China currently irrigates nearly "100% of all of its cotton", while the US irrigates "41% of all its cotton."  Now in the cotton video, it says that many farmers are beginning to utilize more targeted watering techniques.  I do believe that some farmers are doing this, but I question how widespread it is, since the video makes it seem like all farmers are doing it.  These new techniques are very capital intensive, so they will not necessarily be applied in a widespread manner in China, where the techniques are needed more urgently.  One thing that China does have over the US is that they do have the monsoon season, which the rainwater can be stored and used at a later date.  This is, like the man in video stated, "it just makes good business sense!"

One thing that is a little concerning to me is the genetically altered cotton.  This was pioneered by the company Mosanto, which put "glyphosate...into cotton for the first time in 1987."  Now this does not concern me as much as GM corn, since we do not eat cotton, but I think more studies must be done in order to find what kinds of effects it has on our environment.  A good thing about the GM cotton is the obvious fact that it needs less pesticides, or none at all.  This protects the environment.  Also, as stated in the video, scientists are working on making cotton more drought resistant.  This means less water for the plants overall. The one scientist said the he "wants to cuts cotton water consumption in half...but it will be 15 or 20 years before we get to that point."

Overall, the video was quite optimistic and maybe too much so.  I do not think this is a bad thing, as it is supposed to be inspirational for the consumer.  This inspiration will help consumers be more educated on their choices and behaviors concerning cotton production.  It was briefly mentioned in the video, and was extensively talked about in the readings last week is that consumer cleaning does account for a large portion of the energy and water that is consumed in relation to this industry.  Empowered consumers can make a difference!