The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) brought together large-scale cotton farmers, agricultural specialists and industry stakeholders from around the world last week for its fifth annual Large Farm Symposium, as the sector faces growing pressure to adapt to climate change and shifting market expectations. The virtual event, held on January 22 as part of BCI’s wider Programme Partner Meeting, focused on how large farms can help drive innovation and sustainable change across global cotton production.
Participants joined from major cotton-producing countries including Brazil, Pakistan, Türkiye, the United States and Uzbekistan, reflecting the increasingly international nature of sustainability challenges facing the industry. Discussions centred on climate resilience, innovation and the role of data in improving both environmental and economic outcomes for farmers.
Antonio Cabrera, president of the Cabrera Group and a former Brazilian agriculture minister, delivered the keynote address, calling on farmers and agricultural leaders to take greater ownership of how their work is understood by policymakers and the public. He urged producers to better communicate agriculture’s contribution to sustainability and food security, warning that failure to do so could allow others to define the narrative. “If those of us working in agriculture do not properly tell our story, someone will do it for us,” Cabrera said.
BCI, a Geneva-based non-profit organisation, works with farmers and supply chain partners across more than 20 countries and accounts for roughly a quarter of global cotton production. Through forums such as the Large Farm Symposium, the organisation aims to share best practices, strengthen collaboration and support the transition to more sustainable farming systems.
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Organisers said conversations at the symposium extended beyond traditional agronomy to include data-driven decision-making, environmental stewardship and long-term economic resilience. Farmers and experts exchanged views on reducing water use and pesticide inputs, improving soil health and responding to rising expectations around traceability and certification in global supply chains.
Large farms, participants noted, play a critical role not only because of their production scale but also because they can test and scale new technologies and practices that may later be adopted more widely across farming communities.
The symposium forms part of a four-day Programme Partner Meeting that began on January 21, with additional sessions scheduled in February. These will focus on decent work, labour conditions and the use of impact data to improve outcomes for farmers and farm workers.
BCI’s annual meetings have become an important platform for stakeholders seeking to align cotton production with global sustainability goals, as the industry navigates tightening regulations, growing transparency demands and increasing climate-related risks. Organisers said a full recap of the symposium will be published on the Better Cotton Initiative’s website in the coming days.
