Organic cotton is more environmentally friendly than conventional cotton. Conventional cotton requires heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides that pollute water and soil and pose health risks. Organic cotton is grown without these chemicals. It is identified by labels like organic, green, and eco-friendly cotton. Farmers in India have formed organizations to promote organic cotton cultivation and sell to buyers in countries like Japan. Organic cotton production in India makes up 15% of global supply.

1. WHY ORGANIC COTTON? R.B.CHAVAN MAHATMA GANDHI INSTITUTE OF RURAL INDUSTRIALIZATION WARDHA 442001 E-MAIL rbchavan@hotmail.com

3. THREE ECOLOGIES PRODDUCTION ECOLOGY USER ECOLOGY DISPOSAL ECOLOGY

4. USER ECOLOGY USER ECOLOGY REFERS TO AESTHETICS PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS EFFECTS OF TEXTILES ON HUMAN BODY.

5. DISPOSAL ECOLOGY DISPOSAL OF TEXTILES AFTER USE RECYCLING, COMPOSTING, DUMPING, INCINERATION LEAST POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT .

6. PRODUCTION ECOLOGY COMPRISES OF CULTIVATION AND HARVESTING OF NATURAL FIBRES THE MANUFACTURE OF SYNTHETIC FIBRES SPINNING, WEAVING, KNITTING TEXTILE CHEMICAL PROCESSING GARMENT MANUFACTURE PACKING

8. Major Cotton Pesticides and Herbicides Birds, bees, aquatic life Mutations. Plant growth regulator Ethephon Aquatic life, birds, Cancer, reproductive damage, tumors Mites, insecticide. Dicofol Bees, birds, aquatic life Birth defects, cancer. Weeds Cyanazine Bees, birds, aquatic life Brain and fetal damage, impotence, sterility. Insects Chlorpynfos Environ. Toxicity Human Toxicity Agri. Use Chemical Name

9. Major Cotton Pesticides and Herbicides Environ. Toxicity Human Toxicity Agri. Use Chemical Name Bees, birds, aquatic life Bone marrow, kidney, liver, testicular damage. Herbicide. Prometryn Birds, bees, & fish. Eye damage, skin irritant. Insecticide & miticide. Profenofos Birds, bees, aquatic life Birth defects, fetal damage, reproductive & immune system. Insecticide. Methyl Parathion Bees & fish. Birth defects, fetal damage, mutations Insects, nematodes, fungus, weeds. Metam Sodium

10. Major Cotton Pesticides and Herbicides Environ. Toxicity Human Toxicity Agri. Use Chemical Name aquatic insects, bees, birds, & fish. Cancer, fetal damage, teratogen, suspect mutagen. Herbicide. Trifluralin Birds & fish. Cancer, tumors. Leaf drop. Tribufos Birds & fish. Kidney damage & methemoglobinemia Leaf drop & weeds. Sodium Chlorate Bees, birds, aquatic life Cancer, Fetal & eye damage, mutations, tumors. Miticide. Propargite

13. A young Mexican girl drinking water from an empty pesticide container. This picture strongly demonstrates the lack of education about the dangers of pesticides in rural areas of the developing world including india

14. KING COTTON COTTON BUD COTTON FLOWER

15. beneath cotton's natural fiber lies a long chain of chemically-intensive, "unnatural" processes. To bring this delicate plant to harvest, it is heavily sprayed - 8 to 10 times a season - with poisonous pesticides they gradually render fields barren. And that's just the beginning. Need for organic cotton

16. Like most technologies, pesticides are not neutral. Manufacturers insist that they are selective, wiping out undesirable elements and leaving others unharmed. The list of tragic accidents involving chemicals used on cotton, however, is lengthy. The 1984 gas leak at the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, India - which included chemicals used on cotton - speaks for hazardous effects An estimated 25 million people worldwide are poisoned by pesticides every year, which translates to 48 per minute. It is almost universally agreed that pesticide exposure heightens the risk of cancer.

17. So much is made of the economic advantages of pesticides by chemical companies interested in sales But little is said of the hidden costs, the contamination of soil and ground water, the negative effects on farmers, farm workers, aquatic and wildlife.

19. ORGANIC COTTON

21. Organic cotton certification INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION FOR ORGANIC AGRICULTURE MOVEMENT [IFOAM] has formulated standards and guidelines for organic cotton cultivation and are followed by many labeling agencies to certify organic cotton and other farm produce.

22. ORGANIC COTTON REDUCTION IN AGROCHEMICALS

24. INDIAN COTTON India is the third largest producer of cotton Percentage of agriculture land under cotton production in India: 5 per cent (8.9 million hectares) Percentage of total pesticide used for cotton cultivation 54 per cent cotton makes for 70 per cent of the textile sector's raw material

27. Vidarbha organic farmers Association(VOFA 1993 Visit of Envirnmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA) Hamburg Germany to Central Cotton Research Institute, (CICR) Nagpur To confirm organic cotton farming in Vidarbha EPEA confirmed organic cotton in Vidarbha 1994 Organization of 135 farmers from five districts Nagpur, Wardha, Yavatmal, Amravati and Akola 1995 commitment of 12,00 hectares land for organic cotton cultivation 1995 Formation of Vidarbha Organic Farmers Association 1996 Bumper crop of organic cotton

28. Present status of VOFA 205 Members 90 Practicing organic farmers 3500 Acres area under organic cotton farming Purchaser: Fare Trade Company Japan

29. Voluntary organizations in organic cotton production VOFA (VIDARBHA ORGANIC FARMERS ASSOCIATION), MOFA (MAHARASHTRA ORGANIC FARMERS ASSOCIATION), have been formed either by farmers groups interested in organic cotton cultivation or to assist such groups by offering technical assistance. yield level of 500-750 kg/ha. The technological properties of organic cotton micronaire (3.8-5.0), span length (25.5-29.9 mm) and fibre maturity parameters similar to fibres produced by conventional methods

30. Organic cotton production in India 14-15 lakh bales of uncertified organic cotton (Cotton corporation of India) Estimated certified organic cotton 1000 tons Total world production 8150 tons 15% of total world production 37% Asian countries production

31. WHY ORGANIC FARMING Large retailers are profitably marketing garments made of organic cotton Consumer preference for environment friendly products Market advantage for environment friendly products Future generation: Our farming and manufacturing methods should pass on clean environment to our children and grandchildren for their health and happiness Cleaner approach : organic cotton saves 30% of harmful synthetic fertilizers and farm chemicals Forthcoming regulations to ban toxic agriculture chemicals