Learning from “good” beetles key to sustainable cotton production

WWF 15 May 09;

Andhra Pradesh, India – For Rajita Nandsee and many other families in her village, growing sustainable cotton means getting excited about insects – a sharp contrast to how farmers typically feel towards pests.

On a recent afternoon in Andhra Pradesh state in India, Devender Reddy (pictured below) was happy to prove that point by showing off a test area he oversees near Nandsee’s village, replete with a yellow plastic screen covered in a lot of bugs.

The screen secretes fragrance pheromones that attract insects and is part of a larger WWF-IKEA joint project in the area, for which Reddy acts as a project manager. Everybody involved works to encourage the sustainable growing of cotton by introducing innovative practices to villagers.

"We can see whether the number of insects is increasing or decreasing,” Reddy said. “The farmers use the information to decide what type of pest reduction measure they want to use."

Cotton has been used as a fiber in clothing and textiles for more than 5,000 years, but the plant’s popularity and its dazzling white surface have a downside - cotton is a thirsty crop which often requires large quantities of water and chemicals.

However, WWF and the international furnishings company IKEA are working to solve that problem, and negate cotton production’s negative effects on the environment and people’s health.

For the last three years, the two organizations have run a joint project to support more sustainable cotton production in the Warangal district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, and the project already is showing success.

"Our goals included reducing the use of water, chemical spraying and chemical fertilizers whilst increasing family incomes,” said Vamshi Krishna, project leader. “We have managed to break many trends and we have great hopes for the future.”

Cotton Boom

The mid 1990s saw a cotton boom in India and the cotton growers in Warangal expanded their area of cultivation. Many farmers took out loans but the competition from American cotton growers with huge subsidies led to a fall in prices. Drought and serious insect damage contributed to crop failure and poor yields in the early 2000s.

After this, many farmers chose to use new types of cotton and seeds resistant to insect attack, such as genetically modified cotton (Bt cotton).

Twenty-two-year-old Chiranjeeevi Rnukuntta, from the village of Shyampet, is one of those farmers who had to live with the consequences of those difficult times. His parents committed suicide, one after the other, in 2001 and 2002. They had borrowed money during the drought and could not repay it.

"I had two younger sisters to care for and I had to take care of everything," says Chiranjeevi, who is also a part-time student. “It took me three years to get back on my feet but now I believe in myself and my future.”


Cotton growers test new approaches

The WWF and IKEA project for more sustainable cotton production began in 2006 on a small scale with around 40 families. Today, the project covers 18 villages and involves around 600 cotton growers. More than 6,000 villagers and farmers have taken part in meetings for the project and the number of growers involved is on the rise.

When the project began, the cotton growers formed a cooperative and members discussed issues such as what can be bought in collectively and how the chain from cultivation to market can be made more effective.

"It is positive that we can find solutions and make decisions together. All sorts of issues are handled, from insect control and drinking water quality to how we can get better prices from the buyers and increase our incomes,” said Purushotham Reddy, winner of the ‘Farmer of the Year’ award from the Warangal district authorities.

Andhra Pradesh is a state that traditionally uses a great deal of water for irrigation and is responsible for one quarter of India’s total chemical use. New methods are needed to face the challenges of the future and to improve the current situation, according to WWF.

An important driver for change has been the opportunity for families to receive training at the project’s Farmer Field School. The training course runs for 20 weeks during the high season from August to November. The participants meet twice a week to learn more about cultivation techniques, water and environmental issues.

The model used in the Warangal project is called Better Management Practices (BMPs). It involves adapting cultivation methods to increase yields, minimize environmental effects and achieve best possible social conditions for the farmers. The cotton growers work with test areas where they test co-planting of crops, look at which pests are active and test biological pesticides. For example, growing maize and cotton close to each other is a way of reducing insect damage.

The Cotton plant has long growing and flowering seasons and this makes the plant sensitive to insect damage. In the past, the farmer would spray their plants 20-30 times per season; today they only spray six to seven times per season. They often use plant-based preparations - amongst others, from the Neem tree and extract of Vitex and biological pesticides, with "good" beetles that eat up the pests.

"Last year was a good year. We could work without any toxic chemicals. It’s good for our health to use less chemicals." said Rajita Nandsee, who added that she hopes for more investment in water and toilets in the villages.

Villagers currently have to buy jugs of drinking water that are driven to the village.

"In the future we hope that we can increase our income so that we can pay for a good education for our children," she said.


Environmental and health benefits

Water problems have worsened in India. Groundwater availability is declining in many areas, cotton is one of the thirstiest agricultural crops, and new approaches are needed to cope with future climatic changes.

The cotton growers mainly use rainwater stored in tanks to water their crops, but this is often not enough. So in Warangal, the farmers have invested in drip irrigation. They also treat the soil before sowing by ploughing and applying compost and silt, which helps the soil to retain water. The results so far are very positive. Water consumption has been halved, the use of chemicals has fallen by about 40 percent and artificial fertilizers have been reduced by 30 percent.

"We have broken the negative trend and our next goal in the project is to reach 5,000 cotton growers” said Vamshi Krishna, a project manager for WWF India´s sustainable cotton project.