Most people would say “Of course cotton is sustainable!” I believe that, ultimately, that is true, but only because I have faith that scientist of the future, students at Mercer and other Colleges and Universities, will continue to meet the challenges of keeping it sustainable!
What are those challenges?
Irrigation accounts for nearly 60% of fresh water consumption worldwide according to the USGS. Producing cotton successfully and profitably requires lots of water. Dwindling resources will require cotton of the future to thrive on less water, hence a tremendous challenge for geneticists.
Pesticides and herbicides produce chemical runoff that can pollute groundwater, ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers. These chemicals may also pose a threat to unintended fauna and flora. Chemists and environmental scientists must work together to mitigate the impact these chemicals have on the environment. Entomologists may play a major role by introducing natural means of pest and weed control.
If any agricultural commodity is to remain commercially sustainable, farm equipment and transportation must evolve to meet the growing need to preserve our environment.
Producers in other countries are most likely to continue to produce cotton without regard for the environment. The challenge for science will be to improve and refine our seed stock
and production techniques to keep “King Cotton” homegrown.
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