Revision of the Better Cotton Initiative’s Environmental Principles and Criteria World

Context of the service

The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is the world's largest cotton sustainability program. BCI aims to support the livelihoods of cotton farmers, while protecting and restoring the environment.

The farm-level BCI standard, known as the Principles and Criteria (P&C), covers 7 principles: crop protection, water management, biodiversity and land use, soil health, fibre quality, decent work and management systems. The 2018 version of the P&C applied to more than 2 million cotton farmers in 23 countries, the majority of whom are smallholder family farmers.

In 2022, BCI launched the review of the P&C, with the aim of improving its relevance, effectiveness and aligning it with the Better Cotton 2030 Strategy. As part of this review, BCI convened several thematic expert advisory groups to support it, including a group on natural resources, which was tasked with analyzing requirements related to water, soil, biodiversity, and climate change.

Services provided

The SalvaTerra expert, included in a "natural resources" thematic group of 6 experts, contributed to the reflections on the following issues, during a dozen virtual meetings during 2022:

- Water management: monitoring of water resources, soil moisture management, application of efficient irrigation practices, water quality management, collaboration and collective action, consideration of the link between water and climate change adaptation/mitigation, etc.

- Soil health: soil identification and analysis, maintenance and improvement of soil structure and fertility, improvement of nutrient cycle, etc.

- Biodiversity: restoration of degraded areas, protection of wetlands and areas of high conservation value (HCV), etc.

- Climate-smart global agricultural practices: crop rotation and association, combination of livestock and agriculture, simplified tillage, improved management of organic matter, etc.

Summary of the service

Revision of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) environmental principles and criteria, used by more than 2 million cotton farmers (mostly smallholder families) in 23 countries: an expert from SalvaTerra took part in a panel of 6 experts to contribute to the revision of the principles and criteria for the sustainable management of natural resources (water, soils, biodiversity, climate change, etc.) during a dozen virtual meetings during 2022.