The Truth Series: Ep.3 “COTTON CLAIMS: The Good, The Bad, and The Nuanced”
Are you feeling overwhelmed with the influx of information out there?
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to decipher what is right and who is credible.
That’s why we’re launching THE TRUTH series.
A new series of episodes where we bring in the top experts from around the world to investigate the FACTS and bring the TRUTH to the table.
The TRUTH Ep.3: ‘COTTON CLAIMS’
Cotton. It’s a controversial subject. In this upcoming episode of The TRUTH, we want to unpack the misconceptions and the misuse of cotton data and global average figures, debunk some of the myths on water consumption, pesticide use, and shed a light on data on yield.
Let’s get down to the truth about cotton.
Speakers
Arun Ambatipudi
Co-founded Chetna Organic in 2004 and stand by its vision. Co-founded the ‘Non-Pesticide Management Consortium India’ (NPMI) and its associated label “Zero” and the national brand “Safe Harvest” for developing domestic markets for food crops. Served as Board of Directors /Trustees and in Advisory Committees across various national & international agencies, and engaged in offering advisory support to various programs in Africa and other countries in the global south. An ardent believer of the Rudolf Steiner philosophy, a wild life fanatic and dream of a retirement farming on my own land surrounded by hills and forests.
Cannon Michael
Cannon is the President/CEO of Bowles Farming Company. He is engaged in California water and agriculture issues - he serves as the Chairman of the San Luis & Delta Mendota Water Authority, as a director on: the Water Education Foundation Board, the San Luis Canal Company Board, the Water Policy Center’s Advisory Council, the Henry Miller Reclamation District Board, the Family Farm Alliance, the American Farmland Trust Board, the Cotton Incorporated Board. He serves as the president of the San Luis Resource Conservation District Board, advisory board member for UC Davis Agricultural Sustainability Institute, as Treasurer for the Exchange Contractors PAC, and as director and past chairman of the California Cotton Growers Association.
Dr. Keshav Kranti
Dr Kranthi works as Head of the Technical Information Section, at the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC), Washington DC. Before joining the ICAC in March 2017 Dr. Kranthi worked as a cotton scientist in India for 27 years. He joined the Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR) Nagpur, India in 1991 as a scientist and served the institute as its Director from 2008 to 2017. He published 60 peer reviewed research papers and presented 34 invited papers in about 30 countries. He invented immunological kits to detect Bt in GM crops, insecticide resistant insects and spurious pesticides. He pioneered the development of insecticide resistance management strategies in India. He was the first winner of the ICAC International Researcher of the Year Award in 2009. Dr. Kranthi won two international awards and 10 Indian national awards which include the National Award as Leader of best team research, ICAR in 2006 and the Plant Protection Recognition Award from National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India in 2016.
Simon Ferrigno
Simon has been working on cotton and sustainability since 2000, with a focus on alternatives such as organic cotton and IPM. He has also researched the impacts of pesticide and insecticide use on human health and the environment in Africa. Today, Simon is a freelance researcher and writer working with both public and private clients on the development of sustainable cotton and agriculture. Simon is also the author of the Cotton Horizons column for Ecotextile News magazine, for whom he has written two books and several reports on cotton, most recently 'The Inside Guide to Cotton & Sustainability' (2020). Simon also works for Belong Nottingham, an organization that supports refugees and migrants, and is Chair of European movement Derbyshire and a founder of East Midlands Bylines, a citizens' journalism initiative that is part of a nationwide UK initiative.
