Application will help control and monitor pests in organic cotton farming

Embrapa Algodão, in partnership with the Federal University of Campina Grande and the C&A Institute, developed an application called Under control, was presented this Monday (21), at an event at the Embrapa Algodão headquarters in Campina Grande, Paraíba. Organic cotton, intercropped with other agricultural crops, has been cultivated mainly in the Brazilian semi-arid region in the states of Ceará, Pernambuco, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte and Piauí. The cultivation of organic crops is growing in Brazil and the development of innovations and technologies help producers, in addition to improving productivity in the field, reducing socio-environmental impacts.

“The levels of productivity and production of organic cotton are still very low, it does not even represent 0,01% of Brazilian cotton production. With this in mind, we developed the application, as we believe that technologies and innovations bring young people closer to cotton management, in addition to enhancing best practices in family farming”, says Fábio de Albuquerque, researcher at Embrapa Algodão.

The application allows an exchange of knowledge and experience between farmers on the management of organic cotton, reduces the distance between producers and allows the identification, eradication, control and monitoring of pests in cotton plantations. In addition, it offers technical advice, as this function has been limiting for the expansion of agroecological-based cotton farming in the semi-arid region.

“The essence of the initiative is to empower farmers in what they already do so well, but with technical support. In such a way that the arguments do not remain in the field of experience or guesswork and that it is possible to have a memory of everything that has been accomplished within the production units, in the communities and in the region”, adds Cláudio Baptista, professor at UFCG.

During the application creation process, Embrapa Algodão and the Federal University of Campina Grande worked intensely on the development of research and tools aimed at small cotton producers. With the help of Diaconia and Esplar, partners that operate in the region, Embrapa Algodão registered some of the women farmers in the semi-arid region and the conditions of their production units.

This information serves as a basis for making decisions regarding the best production arrangements on each property. This way, it will be possible to draw a more precise geography of the producing regions, their peculiarities, their challenges and potential. The application is a complementary initiative to the work carried out by the organizations involved, but with greater breadth, fluidity and speed of responses.

“The Institute seeks to strengthen innovative and inclusive initiatives through partnerships with regional actors. For us, it is a source of pride to be part of an initiative led by Embrapa Algodão and the Federal University of Campina Grande. This project goes beyond the development of technologies aimed at growing sustainable cotton; it allows an exchange of knowledge between people, influencing the improvement of the quality of life of families located in the Brazilian semi-arid region”, concludes Luciana Pereira, Manager of Sustainable Raw Materials at Instituto C&A.  

At first, the application will only be available to farmers in the Brazilian semi-arid region who are included in the project.