**10.5 Land use**

In order to build a more sustainable future, agricultural land must be used effectively and efficiently. The good news is that cotton growers have implemented a number of techniques intended to maximize land use effectiveness, such as


## **10.6 Pesticides**

Thanks to advancements in biotechnology and pest management, cotton growers may use a lot less pesticides and insecticides now than they did in the past. In actuality, cotton consumes an average of only five grams of pesticides per kilogram compared to other crops. The Boll Weevil Eradication Program, started in the 1970s, was one of the most successful uses of Integrated Pest Management in history. Boll weevils used to cost American farmers \$300 million in crop damage

#### *Integrated Pest Management in Cotton DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.114183*

per year; however, all states in the union that grow cotton have eradicated the pest entirely, with the exception of Texas.

Thanks to this innovative method, cotton growers have been able to cut their insecticide applications by 50 percent since the 1980s. Many of those that are still in use target specific species, protecting other organisms from damage and enabling them to continue existing and contributing to the ecosystem. Sustainable supply chain management, which coordinates demand needs toward suppliers along the supply chain while addressing economic as well as social and environmental issues, is strongly emphasized by corporate responsibility in global sourcing operations [86].
