Some people say poor farmers would be better off growing food than cotton. Are they right?
These people are mistaken. First of all cotton is often the only “cash crop” poor subsistence farmers can grow to provide them with the necessary income to buy tools, clothes, school books, medicines, etc. Secondly, the concept of crop rotation is a major principle of organic agriculture. Organic cotton farmers typically grow twice as much food as cotton. This allows them to ensure “food security” (enough food) for their whole community. When farmers grow cotton organically they also grow, as a result, very healthy and nutritive organic food which is not contaminated by pesticides. We call this “food safety”, and it is all thanks to organic cotton.