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BAKU, Nov 12 (APP):Global leaders, policymakers, and industry experts on Tuesday at COP29 urged immediate support for farmers in resource-poor nations, emphasising technology transfers to bolster climate resilience and sustainability in cotton cultivation.
The pannel remarked during an event titled “Decarbonising and Adapting the Cotton-to-Clothing Value Chain through Multisectoral Partnerships” at the Pakistan Pavilion, to address the role of innovative technologies, including nuclear techniques, in tackling climate impacts on cotton farming.
Speakers noted that as climate change worsens, cotton farmers, particularly in vulnerable regions like Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Egypt, are facing unprecedented challenges such as severe floods, heatwaves, and droughts.
The event was organised by Pakistan’s Ministry of Climate Change & Environmental Coordination in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and the World Trade Organization (WTO).
In his keynote, Parliamentary Secretary Ahmed Atteeq Anwar highlighted cotton’s critical role in global textiles, stressing the urgency of climate adaptation for cotton farmers and rural economies. “Without immediate efforts to help farmers adapt, we risk severe disruptions to supply chains and rural livelihoods,” he warned.
Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, underscored nuclear technology’s potential in reducing emissions and enhancing resilience across the cotton sector. Nuclear techniques, he explained, could help lower carbon emissions, improve water efficiency, enable sustainable pest control, and monitor pollution in cotton farming, presenting a powerful solution to the industry’s environmental challenges.
WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala added that soil mapping, a WTO initiative, is crucial for understanding soil health and selecting crops suited to climate challenges, which could improve cotton’s resilience against extreme weather.
Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Sarvan Jafarov shared a successful case study in Azerbaijan, where climate-smart practices and the use of a new cotton variety have doubled crop yields in a project supported by IAEA and FAO.
The event brought together a range of voices, including representatives from Burkina Faso, Burkina Faso, and the ARISE group, all reinforcing the critical role of multisectoral partnerships in creating a sustainable, climate-resilient cotton sector worldwide.