U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol Awarded USDA Grant for U.S. Climate Smart Commodity Program

The U.S Cotton Trust Protocol is proud to be the lead and recipient of the U.S. Climate Smart Cotton Program, which will receive funding as one of those selected as part of the USDA Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities pilot projects.

The project will build markets for climate-smart cotton and provide technical and financial assistance to over 1,000 U.S. cotton farmersthe to advance adoption of climate smart practices on more than one million acres. This will allow the production of more than four million bales of Climate Smart Cotton over five years.

“The Trust Protocol was launched in 2020 to set a new standard in sustainable cotton production where full transparency is a reality and continuous improvement is the central goal,” said Dr. Gary Adams, President of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. “The U.S. Climate Smart Cotton Program is an important step in providing the necessary resources needed for growers to learn, grow and explore new opportunities that will improve their environmental footprint. We look forward to working with Secretary Vilsack to implement the program’s comprehensive approach.”

The project is a multi-stakeholder initiative that also includes the National Cotton Council’s export arm Cotton Council International, Cotton Incorporated, the Soil Health Institute, Soil and Water Outcomes Fund, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Agricenter International, Alabama A&M University, and North Carolina A&T State University.

Launched in 2020, the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol was designed to set a new standard in more sustainably grown cotton, ensuring that it contributes to the protection and preservation of the planet, using the most sustainable and responsible techniques. It is the only farm-level, science-based program that provides quantifiable, verifiable goals and measurements in six key sustainability metrics as well as article-level supply chain transparency.

The Trust Protocol is overseen by a multi-stakeholder Board of Directors comprised of representatives from brands and retailers, civil society, and independent sustainability experts as well as the cotton-growing industry, including growers, ginners, merchants, wholesalers and cooperatives, mills, and cottonseed handlers.

USDA announced details of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities opportunity on February 7, 2022. Through this new program, USDA will finance partnerships to support the production and marketing of climate-smart commodities via a set of pilot projects lasting 1 to 5 years. Pilots will provide technical and financial assistance to producers who implement climate-smart practices on a voluntary basis on working lands; pilot innovative and cost-effective methods for quantification, monitoring, reporting, and verification of greenhouse gas benefits; and market the resulting climate-smart commodities.