Better Cotton joins PULSE initiative for cotton transparency in Pakistan

Better Cotton has joined forces with the Punjab government’s Punjab Urban Land Systems Enhancement (PULSE) initiative to improve transparency in cotton farming by using advanced geospatial technologies to validate farm-level data. This collaboration aims to streamline data collection and reduce the costs associated with manual data validation for cotton farms in Pakistan.

PULSE, known for its success in modernizing field boundaries demarcation across Punjab, will now extend its capabilities to support Better Cotton’s efforts. By providing accurate and verifiable data, the initiative will help ensure that farms meet the stringent criteria of Better Cotton’s Assurance Program, which includes sustainability performance and production process improvements.

Many of Pakistan’s cotton farmers are smallholders with less than two hectares of land, making data collection challenging without digital tools. The partnership will make it easier for these small farms to demonstrate compliance with Better Cotton’s Traceable Better Cotton program, which is vital for brands like H&M Group, Walmart, Target, and Gap, Inc., to trace and disclose the origin of their raw materials.

“This partnership will add a new layer of credibility to Better Cotton’s footprint and outreach data,” said Muhammad Qadeer, Field Digitalization Manager for Better Cotton. PULSE will not only validate seasonal cotton data through satellite and machine-learning models but also offer technical support and training on geospatial data capture to Better Cotton Pakistan.