B. Energy to be invested is precious
In cotton farming we only talk about the yield- how many quintals of cotton that is achieved not the investment- What resources that the land consumed.
1. Water use: There a number of reasons why organic cotton farming results in much lower water use. Organic or indigenous agricultural practices use natural methods to build up organic matter in soils, resulting in up to 30% more water retention as compared to conventional cotton. Organic or indigenous cotton farming also contributes towards improved water quality because of the avoidance of chemical water pollution.
2. Chemical/fertilizer use: The relationship between organic cotton farming and artificial chemical and pesticide use is often misrepresented. In organic agriculture, artificial chemicals are prohibited and pesticides are severely restricted. Instead, organic agriculture relies on natural methods for disease and pest prevention, such as sustainable crop rotations, using wildlife to control pests and disease, and preserving nutrient-rich soils and resilient crops. For this reason, approximately 2.8 kilograms of hazardous pesticides and 363 kilograms of chemical fertilizers are avoided for each kilogram of organic cotton produced.
In India, 70% of the total pesticide production goes into cotton farming.
3. Energy use: Surprisingly, it has been claimed that links have been found between organic farming and higher greenhouse gas emissions. Rather, organic cotton farming practices go hand-in-hand with much lower emissions than are produced when growing conventional cotton. As organic farming does not rely on fossil fuel-based fertilizers and herbicides, growing organic cotton does not contribute to the significant emissions associated with the production and use of such inputs. In addition, the natural farming methods used in organic agriculture are highly effective at storing humus in soils, a stable form of organic carbon. As a result this is estimated to reduce the global warming potential of organic cotton by up to 46% compared to non-organic cotton.
4. Biotechnology: It has been claimed that applications of biotechnology, such as the use of genetically modified (GM) seeds, has contributed to efficiency gains and thus the overall sustainability benefits of conventional cotton farming.
