There is no question that cotton is a natural resource, home grown from Earth’s dirt and water supply. The cultivation of conventional cotton makes use of icky things such as pesticides and insecticides. Not to mention that the exposure of pesticides is causing serious health problems affecting the human brain and eyesight, with severe cases leading to death. Poor irrigation practices, or lack of water management, have a star role in the process as well, in the growth of this crop.
Through the emerging of globalization, we have learned that cheap labor has become essential to running a successful corporation today. For example, The Aral Sea area of Central Asia, where cheap labor equates to increased production, poses an even greater threat to the environment from high water and pesticide use by poor irrigation systems in place. There’s been much talk about the little to nothing wages given to workers, but a bit of silence has fallen over the topic of labor performance carried out. According to The sustainability of cotton: consequences for man and environment by Kooistra, a consequence of the excessive use in the Aral Sea area was the concentration of pollutants in the water. It has been the main cotton provider for the USSR since 1938, a situation that lead to significant ill effects, including: a 75% drop sea area, a 92% drop in fish groups, and an 88% drop in plant life.
Farmers need more knowledge and skills, especially those in developing countries, to help modify their agricultural activities to become more environmentally conscious. Farmers living in developing countries are at a high disadvantage than those in places such as the United States. Growing cotton is their primary source of income, maintaining soil fertility and reducing the chances of soil erosion come with a high price tag; replenishment is not a matter of importance compared to security of life. People are more incline not to rotate cotton with other crops to ensure their compensation. Taking this risk of soil contamination heightens the pressure from soilborne pathogens; as a result soil fumigants are used even more. Water is a sensitive resource; it’s quickly being depleted with no replenishment cycle developed neither to counteract intensive cultivation, nor to revitalize the land the cotton was once cultivated on.
Through the emerging of globalization, we have learned that cheap labor has become essential to running a successful corporation today. For example, The Aral Sea area of Central Asia, where cheap labor equates to increased production, poses an even greater threat to the environment from high water and pesticide use by poor irrigation systems in place. There’s been much talk about the little to nothing wages given to workers, but a bit of silence has fallen over the topic of labor performance carried out. According to The sustainability of cotton: consequences for man and environment by Kooistra, a consequence of the excessive use in the Aral Sea area was the concentration of pollutants in the water. It has been the main cotton provider for the USSR since 1938, a situation that lead to significant ill effects, including: a 75% drop sea area, a 92% drop in fish groups, and an 88% drop in plant life.
Farmers need more knowledge and skills, especially those in developing countries, to help modify their agricultural activities to become more environmentally conscious. Farmers living in developing countries are at a high disadvantage than those in places such as the United States. Growing cotton is their primary source of income, maintaining soil fertility and reducing the chances of soil erosion come with a high price tag; replenishment is not a matter of importance compared to security of life. People are more incline not to rotate cotton with other crops to ensure their compensation. Taking this risk of soil contamination heightens the pressure from soilborne pathogens; as a result soil fumigants are used even more. Water is a sensitive resource; it’s quickly being depleted with no replenishment cycle developed neither to counteract intensive cultivation, nor to revitalize the land the cotton was once cultivated on.
In the Cotton Inc. video called Control for Erosion Control, the Ellis family turns cotton gin trash into high quality mulche, which is a conservation technique believe it or not. This mulche is sprayed onto landscaping projects to prevent soil erosion. Most mulche is made from wood; they have taken a byproduct and introduced it to the green industry. This action helps to reduce soil corruption and promote fertility. This sustainable attempt lessens landfill waste through finding an alternative for leftover cotton pieces too.
Hi, Jasmine! Your intro paragraph is strong and well articulated. I appreciate your reflection on farmers, particularly those that are at the greatest disadvantage -- it's important for us to remember the social perspective of sustainability. Could you explain this sentence a little more? : "There’s been much talk about the little to nothing wages given to workers, but a bit of silence has fallen over the topic of labor performance carried out." Also, after seeing a couple different perspectives about cotton cultivation, in your opinion, is this crop sustainable long-term?
ReplyDeleteThe cultivation of cotton in an unsustainable manner with increase exposure to harmful fertilizers and pesticides is often a life or death situation, literally. If farmers in developing or underdeveloping countries do not produce enough cotton, their results could mean little to no food for their families or shortage of funds to live off of. This strategy of reaching out to other countries to cut cost, must consider the lives that are at risk for such a high level of demand for cotton. This labor force must be given the proper education and skills to complete the job efficiently and effectively. Their lives depend on it.
DeleteJasmine. Your first paragraph was really great and all the information you provide is woderful! You talk about the Aral Sea and was the cultivation of cotton has done to the environment. Do you think that if cotton farmers in the Aral Sea region were to change their ways of growing cotton, could it possibly reverse the problems that you stated?
ReplyDeleteGreat job :)
Hi Jasmine,
ReplyDeleteYou had a really good opening paragraph. I also agree with you that farmers need to have more environmentally friendly ways of growing cotton, but how do you suppose they get what they need to do that. Farming for them is the same way the rest of us would run a business, which means that they want the cheapest ways to grow the cotton. Government incentives and tax write offs are probably the only way to motivate the farmers to make the changes.
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ReplyDeleteCotton does not require a tremendous amount of energy to grow. More importantly, it's a natural, renewable and biodegradable fiber. Therefore, it has specific environmental and sustainability advantages over synthetic fibers. The technique of organically farming cotton without the use of pesticides increases the textile’s sustainability, along with smarter irrigation activities that prevent excessive water usage. With this being said, I do support the idea of finding other substitution fibers such as hemp to reduce our heavy reliance on the fiber. To answer Elizebeth’s question, I strongly feel that the depletion of freshwater in the Aral Sea can be stopped. Irrigation systems such as flow-and-furrow must find a way to successfully capture the 60% of runoff water. Farmers could save, store, and reuse the water for growing more cotton.
ReplyDelete