Cotton Genomics and Genetics 2025, Vol.16, No.2, 80-94 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/cgg 88 flood irrigation to drip irrigation in just over ten years (Fan et al., 2012). For example, some countries provide transition subsidies or tax breaks to farmers in the organic cotton conversion period to help them get through the painful period of declining production and rising costs. In addition to direct subsidies, the government can also use credit and insurance policy levers to support sustainable cotton. For example, provide interest-subsidized loans to farmers who purchase cost-saving and efficiency-enhancing equipment such as cotton pickers and precision seeders to lower their capital threshold. In developing countries with low labor productivity, such subsidies for the purchase of agricultural machinery can reduce dependence on cheap labor and improve labor-capital relations to a certain extent (Sriram et al., 2024). In terms of insurance, the government can provide premium subsidies for cotton farmers to purchase weather index insurance to encourage more farmers to participate in insurance, thereby reducing government disaster relief expenditures in disaster years and ensuring stable farmers' income. It is also important that policies should take into account regional balance and vulnerable groups. For example, in areas where drought and water shortages must be maintained but agricultural production must be maintained, the government should invest in the construction of water conservancy and water-saving facilities, and provide water subsidies to local farmers or reward farmers with outstanding water-saving results. For example, for women cotton farmers, ethnic minority cotton farmers and other groups, special reward and subsidy projects can be designed to increase their opportunities to participate in training and technology upgrades, thereby narrowing the gender and group gap. In general, combining fiscal and financial tools with sustainable goals is an effective way for the government to guide industrial transformation. This can not only accelerate the spread of green technology, but also convey a clear policy signal: future subsidies will flow more to environmentally friendly and socially responsible producers, which will encourage more and more cotton farmers to join the ranks of sustainable development. 5.3 Research investment and promotion system Another focus of policy support is to strengthen the construction of scientific research and promotion systems to provide technical supply and talent support for sustainable cotton cultivation. First, the government and scientific research institutions should increase investment in cotton sustainability-related scientific research, including new variety breeding, green prevention and control technology, low-carbon planting models and other aspects. For example, in response to climate change, it is necessary to cultivate new varieties of high-yield and stress-resistant cotton; in response to the reduction of pesticides and fertilizers, it is necessary to develop high-efficiency biological pesticides and new fertilizer substitutes. These RandD often have long cycles and large investments, and enterprises alone are not motivated enough, so the public sector needs to play a leading role. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, China launched a major project on green super rice and cotton, invested heavily in supporting the research and development of transgenic insect-resistant cotton and drought-resistant cotton, and achieved breakthroughs (Li et al., 2020). Secondly, the agricultural technology promotion system should be improved to truly transform scientific research results into the fields. Specifically, the capacity of grassroots agricultural technology promotion stations in major cotton-producing areas should be strengthened, and agricultural technicians who are familiar with both modern technology and local realities should be equipped to provide farmers with on-site guidance and consulting services. In some developing countries, the public promotion system is weak, and foreign aid projects and NGOs have played a supplementary role in this regard. For example, the "Belt and Road" agricultural cooperation platform composed of scientific research institutions in various countries has organized experts to conduct cotton cultivation technology training in Africa and South Asia in recent years, filling the gap of insufficient local extension personnel. Thirdly, policies can encourage the integration of industry, academia and research and international cooperation. Through the guidance of scientific research funds, universities, colleges, enterprises and cooperatives can be encouraged to jointly tackle the problems of sustainable cotton cultivation, such as the development of precision irrigation systems and complete sets of cotton mechanization technologies. At the international level, we should actively participate in cotton scientific research cooperation networks, such as the expert committee of the international cotton advisory committee (ICAC), to share the latest global scientific and technological achievements. Especially for transnational pests and diseases and climate issues, international cooperation in research and development has a multiplier effect. Finally, policies should attach importance to the role of traditional knowledge and farmers'
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzNA==