Working together to scale sustainability solutions

By Dr. Gary Adams, President of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol?

On September 14th, the U.S Cotton Trust Protocol was announced as the lead and recipient of the U.S. Climate Smart Cotton Program, which will receive funding as one of those selected as part of the USDA Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities pilot projects. ?

The U.S. Climate Smart Cotton Program is a 5-year, collaborative pilot to provide technical and financial assistance to 1,650 U.S. cotton farmers to advance adoption of climate smart conservation practices on 1.2M acres. This will allow for the production of over 4M bales of climate smart cotton over five years.?

We know that collaboration drives system change. For many brands and retailers, this change often starts at the farm-level where some of their raw materials are grown and harvested. By including multiple stakeholders in conversations related to supply chain transparency, a diversity of perspectives can develop smarter solutions that address the systemic challenges the industry faces and improve environmental footprint.?

The U.S. Climate Smart Cotton Program integrates leaders from all aspects of the supply chain. Included in the program are farmer education and applied research, growers that have already successfully adopted practices, and experts in measuring/quantification, monitoring, reporting, and verification platforms to focus on the development and delivery of farmer-centric climate smart U.S. cotton. Approximately 80% of requested funds would go to producers to encourage the adoption of new climate-smart practices such as cover crops and nutrient management.??

This program is an important step in providing the necessary resources needed for growers to learn, grow, and explore new opportunities that will improve their environmental footprint. It would not be possible without the collaboration of multiple key stakeholders, including National Cotton Council’s export arm Cotton Council International, Cotton Incorporated, the Soil Health Institute, Soil and Water Outcomes Fund, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Agricenter International, Alabama A&M University, and North Carolina A&T State University. We also thank Target for their cost share pledge.?

The Trust Protocol looks forward to working with each of these stakeholders, as well as Secretary Vilsack to implement the program’s comprehensive approach so that we can together scale sustainable solutions for the U.S. cotton industry, and for the world.?