Cotton Replaces Rice in Japan's Salt-Soaked Fields

Among the devastating effects of the Japanese tsunami in March was the destruction of thousands of acres of rice paddies. One project aims to make use of those saltwater-soaked fields.

When a wall of water from the March 11 tsunami hit Japan's northeastern region of Tohoku, it deposited so much salt into the soil that it not only wiped out traditional rice crops, but rendered the land unfit for much future cultivation.

Fortunately for some farmers, certain crops -- such as cotton -- can be cultivated in land with higher salt content. That has spurred a group of manufacturers, including the Taisho (yarn) Spinning Co., sock manufacturer Tabio and plowing company Agri Services to found the Tohoku Cotton Project to not only help the farmers, but bolster cotton growing in the country.

The project provides cotton seeds to farmers whose rice paddies were flooded by the tsunami. The cotton will be harvested and purchased by participating companies, who will use it to create products such as towels and shawls. Japan Airlines, Lee Jeans, and department store chain Takashimaya are among the participants.

According to the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, more than 58,000 acres of farmland suffered nearly $4 billion in damages in the region.

"Our goal is to restore agriculture and help revive job creation in the area through the cultivation of cotton," said Masato Hata, a spokesman for the project. "Right now we have more than 10 farmers. There are also plans for the participating companies and other volunteers to help with the growing process."

Japan Airlines, which intends to use products from the project onboard its airplanes, sent 30 staff members to Sendai City in September to help weed fields in preparation for the harvest.

Soil salinity plays a key role in the growth of crops. Salt disrupts crops by hindering their ability to absorb water and other nutrients such as potassium -- but cotton has more than double the tolerance of rice.

In addition to flooding farmland with saltwater and debris, the tsunami damaged many irrigation and drainage systems, which will further slow the removal of salt from the soil. Tabio Corp., one of the founders of the project, estimated that in some cases it could take up to three years for the soil salinity to reach pre-tsunami levels and for crops with low salt-tolerance to begin growing again.

Japan has imported much of its cotton -- 80 percent -- in recent years, according to the Japan Cotton Traders Association. Participating companies say they hope the project also helps spur cotton growing in the country.

Thus far, about four acres of land in Sendai and nearby areas are dedicated to the project, with harvest set to take place in November. The goal is to harvest 3,500 pounds of cotton this year, and sell "Tohoku Cotton Project" brand products in stores by spring 2012, the first anniversary of the tsunami.

"I think it's a great idea," said Aiko Hayashi, an English teacher in the Tokyo area. "It seems like a lot of big companies have joined the project, and I think a lot of people will want to buy the products to aid in the reconstruction."

If the project is successful and more participants get involved, the harvesting area could expand to 25 acres next year, according to their press release.

WHICH TEXTILES ARE THE MOST ECO-FRIENDLY?

There’s plenty of hype about organic textiles and their sustainability these days, but are they as eco-friendly as we think they are? I decided to look behind the scenes to find out which textiles are truly sustainable and eco-friendly?

Global awareness of the real price of clothing is growing and there are increasing numbers of cases of people experiencing health problems such as rashes, allergies, respiratory and concentration problems due to chemical sensitivities. Many have found organic clothing to be helpful in reducing exposure to the vast amount of toxic chemicals we are unknowingly exposed to on a daily basis.

Cotton is a wonderful fibre for making clothes, but it is now recognized that conventionally grown cotton causes great harm both to the environment and to cotton industry workers. Its extensive use of pesticides and insecticides can cause ill-health to people that come into contact with the chemicals and widespread pollution by soaking into water tables. Organic cotton is grown without chemicals and therefore does no harm to either environment or workers, but it is more labour intensive and furthermore fields must be free of chemicals for three years before the crop can be certified organic. There have been huge global increases in the demand for organic cotton and the problem now facing farmers is producing enough to meet the demand. LaRhea Pepper of Organic Exchange says, “In order to encourage long term economically sustainable sources of organic fibre we need to be willing to discuss and implement models that acknowledge the value of the product from the farm gate and continuing right down the supply chain.”

Hemp really does seem to be one of the good guys. It has many excellent properties, being environmentally positive with no need of pesticides and insecticides, it actually improves the soil where it is grown. Hemp is drought resistant and can be grown in most climates. Textiles can also be processed from the fibrous stalks without the use of toxic chemicals and because it does not require high technology to process it is ideal to be processed locally increasing local employment and saving transport costs and pollution. Hemp has been used to make clothing for thousands of years and it is in recent times that it has become controversial. Cannabis (marijuana) is a high THC rich form of the hemp plant, and industrial hemp cultivation in the United States is suppressed by laws supported by drug enforcement agencies. They are concerned that high THC plants will be grown amidst the low THC plants used for hemp production. But hemp is produced in Europe and Asia and is now legal in Canada. It would seem a great pity not to utilize this highly sustainable textile.

Bamboo is a material whose luxurious softness has been compared to cashmere. As a plant it is fast growing and highly sustainable and is mainly naturally organic. It does not require replanting after harvest but will regenerate from its vast root structure. Bamboo helps to improve soil quality and helps rebuild eroded soil. There are two ways of manufacturing bamboo, either mechanically or chemically. The mechanical way involves crushing the woody parts of the plant and then using natural enzymes to break it down into a mush so that the natural fibres can be mechanically combed out and spun into yarn. Bamboo produced by this method is sometimes called ‘bamboo linen’. However very little bamboo linen is manufactured for clothing because this method is labour intensive and costly. Bamboo fabric for clothing is mainly produced by chemical manufacturing which involves ‘cooking’ the leaves and shoots in the strong chemical solvents sodium hydroxide and carbon disulphide in a process called hydrolysis alkalization combined with bleaching. Both these chemicals have been linked to health problems. Low levels can cause tiredness, headaches and nerve damage. Carbon disulphide has been blamed for neural disorders in workers at rayon manufacturers. Because of health problems associated with this manufacturing method and damage to the environment it is considered neither sustainable nor environmentally supportable. The good news is that newer manufacturing methods have been developed that are more benign and environmentally friendly. Bamboo fabrics can be produced without any chemical additives but ensure that it is eco certified look for Oeko-Tex, Soil Association, SKAL, KRAV or similar organic or sustainable certification body.

Soya fabric is renowned for its softness, comfort, lustre and drape combined with wash ability and durability. It is more expensive than organic cotton or hemp at this time and is seen as a new luxury product. One of the positives being talked about is the fact that the cloth is produced from a by-product of food manufacturing of the soya bean. Some soya has organic certification but it is a small percentage, much of the soya grown seems to be GM. My research did not lead me to anything very positive about the growing of soy, but there may be additional facts that I did not discover. Soya has been very aggressively grown with GM seeds in Argentina which has embraced GM culture. Crops are treated with glyphosphate during the growing season and a mono-culture has developed as other crops were driven off both by low prices and contamination from soya farmers spraying. New weeds resistant to glyphosphate are now prolific and further chemicals namely gramoxone (paraquat) and gesaprim (atrazine) have been introduced prior to planting. These practices are causing damage to stock and plants in neighbouring farms. In less than a decade soya farming has driven people off the land, created serious ecological and agronomic imbalances, destroyed food security and led to dependence on technology controlled by a handful of multi-national companies. I would suggest that before buying soya fabrics it would be wise to check its credentials and whether it is certified organic.

(Source: EcoStreet/Linda Somes)

WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT ORGANIC COTTON?

There’s a lot “bad” about conventionally grown cotton—cotton grown with the aid of synthetic chemicals, that is. The Organic Trade Association (OTA), a nonprofit trade group representing America’s burgeoning organic cotton industry, considers cotton “the world’s dirtiest crop” due to its heavy use of insecticides. The nonprofit Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) reports that cotton uses 2.5 percent of the world’s cultivated land yet uses 16 percent of the world’s insecticides—more than any other single major crop.

Three of the most acutely hazardous insecticides, as determined by the World Health Organization, are well represented among the top 10 most commonly used in producing cotton. One of them, Aldicarb, “can kill a man with just one drop absorbed through the skin,” says OTA, “yet it is still used in 25 countries and the U.S., where 16 states have reported it in their groundwater.”

Conventionally grown cotton also uses large amounts of nitrogen-based synthetic fertilizer—almost a third of a pound, says the OTA, to grow one pound of raw cotton. To put that in perspective, it takes just under one pound of raw cotton to make one t-shirt. Researchers have found that the fertilizers used on cotton are the most detrimental to the environment, running off into freshwater habitats and groundwater and causing oxygen-free dead zones in water bodies. The nitrogen oxides formed during the production and use of these fertilizers are also a major part of the agricultural sector’s greenhouse gas emissions.

This is all true despite that the use of sprayed insecticides is quickly decreasing with the advent of genetically engineered cotton seeds that have insecticides bred right into them. A third of global cotton cropland and 45 percent of world cotton production now uses genetically engineered seeds. This poses a whole other set of issues, as some scientists fear that the proliferation of such “Frankenseeds” can lead to pest immunities and even the unleashing of so-called “super pests” that can resist virtually any pesticide.

Organic cotton farming eschews synthetic chemicals (as well as genetically engineered seed) in favor of time-tested natural alternatives that ward off pests, replenish and maintain soil fertility and generally optimize growing conditions without compromising the environment or our health. “Composted manures and cover crops replace synthetic fertilizers; innovative weeding strategies are used instead of herbicides; beneficial insects and trap crops control insect pests; and alternatives to toxic defoliants prepare plants for harvest,” says the Sustainable Cotton Project (SCP), a nonprofit that helps cotton farmers in California’s Central Valley discover the economic, environmental and health benefits of avoiding synthetic chemicals.

For consumers able to pay a little more, there are now thousands of organic cotton retailers. The OTA reports that American farmers increased plantings of organic cotton by 26 percent in 2009 over 2008, while sales of organic cotton fiber grew 10.4 percent (to $521 million) during the same time. The OTA’s Organic Pages Online lists vendors (and links to their websites) by product type; many sell online as well as through retail chains. Even some big box stores now offer organic cotton items. So keep your eyes peeled and e a part of the solution by opting for organic cotton next time you stock up your drawers.

Related links
OTA, www.ota.com
EJF, www.ejfoundation.org
SCP, www.sustainablecotton.org

Source: E/The Environmental Magazine