Released on World Cotton Day, the new impact report, BCI’s first in five years, draws on nine years of field-level data covering nearly a quarter of global cotton production.
According to the report, 69% of farmers participating in BCI programmes reduced synthetic nitrogen fertiliser use per kilogram of cotton, while 65% lowered application rates of synthetic pesticides and 54% achieved a drop in carbon emissions.
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In addition, the report revealed that 59% of smallholder BCI farmers saw improved net incomes over the period, and 52% of fully irrigated farms reduced water use per kilogram of cotton produced.
However, the results indicate progress in sustainable crop protection remains mixed, with gains in smallholder settings not yet consistently reflected in larger-scale farming.
The complexity of driving field-level change across disparate farming models continues to present challenges, the report notes.
Women’s inclusion in cotton management roles has meanwhile nearly doubled, with women accounting for 17% of field facilitation and producer unit positions worldwide, up from 9% five years ago.
BCI chief executive Nick Weatherill said: “Data and evidence represent the most important currency with which we operate and form the foundation for all aspects of our work – enabling us to strengthen our impact at field level and building the trust and confidence of the market and stakeholders in BCI cotton. It is also essential for us to deliver on our core mission and drive advancement of the cotton sector towards a more sustainable future.”
The report features updates from the 2024-25 season, during which 61% of BCI farmers cut their synthetic nitrogen use from the previous year, pesticide use was down by 40%, irrigation water use fell by 43%, and overall carbon footprints dropped by nearly half.
The annual report published alongside the impact assessment details the scale of BCI’s operations, noting that 1.4 million farmers produced 6.1 million tonnes of licensed cotton, representing nearly a quarter of global supply.
In the 2024-25 period, BCI’s Growth and Innovation Fund spent €18.5m supporting cotton farmers, with €17.8m allocated to smallholders and reaching 1.5 million field workers.
BCI impact and development senior director Iain Gardiner called the report “an unprecedented and transformative exercise”, providing not just outcomes but also guidance for scalable action and data-driven improvement.
