New cotton initiatives in the United States and Bangladesh are targeting two practical obstacles to more sustainable sourcing: documenting how the fiber is grown and recovering it for another production cycle.

The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) has partnered with agricultural technology company FarmRaise to simplify reporting for U.S. growers. On Tuesday, BCI announced it will make FarmRaise available to growers and field-level partners in its U.S. program starting in January 2027, ahead of the 2027-28 cotton season.

The platform is designed to let growers and group managers reuse existing farm information and review and update their records each year. It will also bring together information about available programs, market access opportunities, changing requirements and deadlines, according to BCI.

“Today, cotton growers can spend a tremendous amount of time documenting program participation and practice implementation each season,” said Ashley Barrington, senior manager of BCI’s U.S. program. “FarmRaise can give them valuable time back by streamlining that process and bringing key information together in one place.”

The partnership follows BCI’s acquisition of Co:Farm, a digital platform developed to simplify farm data collection and support the adoption of regenerative practices.

BCI, which announced its transition to a regenerative standard system last month, said certified cotton producers must introduce improvement plans in at least three of six areas: soil health, biodiversity and natural habitats, water, pesticides, fertilizers and livestock.

Source link