SEEP takes interest in ecological impact of cotton production
22 Nov '07
3 min read
In the “environmental impact” area, the panel will collect data on pesticide use, water management, soil management, production efficiency and energy usage, green house gas emissions and biodiversity from those countries that the various members of the panel are familiar with, namely Greece, Spain, USA, Burkina Faso, Mali, Benin and Côte d'Ivoire.
Issues on the “economic impact” area have not been discussed in great detail, as the panel felt that the ICAC has extensive statistical information that should provide a good starting point and also that the literature review on social impacts should help inform the panel on economic issues.
Information on the costs of agricultural labour and the factors that affect those costs to assess their impact on the social performance of cotton will be collected from those countries that members of the panel are familiar with, and include Kyrgyzstan, USA, Burkina Faso, India, Brazil and Turkey.
In his presentation in Izmir the chairman of SEEP, Allan Williams, mentioned that pesticide use was one of the focal points for the panel, and one of the specific activities discussed during its first meeting was the need to better understand any changes in patterns of pesticide use, particularly given the introduction of biotech cotton in many countries.
He explained that the initial intention is e.g. to focus on changes in both the type of pesticide used. Mr. Williams also pointed out some challenges that the panel will likely face in pursue of its objectives: availability of information and accessibility to it; difficulties to isolate the impact of cotton production in a multi-crop farming system; reporting results containing critical information in a way that does not affect the political sensibility of any country.
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