Cotton Genomics and Genetics 2025, Vol.16, No.2, 80-94 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/cgg 90 and Singh, 2017). In terms of market and organization, the project helped farmers to form cotton cooperatives to purchase agricultural materials and sell seed cotton in a unified manner, and directly connect with cotton ginning factories to reduce middlemen's exploitation. The cooperatives also set up emergency funds to provide small loans to members when they encounter poor harvests, enhancing the overall risk resistance of the community. Figure 2 Changes in pest-community interactions due to Bt cotton and Bt toxins. ★Plant debrises include defoliation, pollen falling, and sqare and boll shedding (Adopted from Razzaq et al., 2023) 6.3 Results The Gujarat Sustainable Cotton Project has achieved significant economic, environmental and social benefits. The first is the increase in cotton farmers' income. According to project monitoring data, the seed cotton yield of participating farmers has increased by an average of about 15%-20% in three years, mainly due to the application of improved varieties, timely field management and the reduction of pests and diseases. More importantly, due to the reduction of inputs such as pesticides and fertilizers and the reduction of costs by the cooperative's unified purchase and sale, the net profit of farmers' cotton planting has increased more significantly. Primark reports that cotton farmers who have completed the full set of training have seen their profits nearly triple on average, which has greatly improved the living conditions of cotton farmers' families. For example, a female cotton farmer from Surendhnagar said that after adopting the new method, her family not only paid off their debts, but also purchased drip irrigation equipment to expand production. This shows that sustainable practices are economically feasible or even superior. The second is improved environmental performance. The 2014-2023 India Impact Report shows that compared with the baseline year, the use of chemical pesticides by demonstration farmers has been reduced by more than half, the use of fertilizers has also been reduced by about 1/3, and the use of water for cotton field irrigation has been reduced by nearly 29%. These agronomic improvements have effectively reduced the pressure on local land and water resources. For example, due to the reduction of highly toxic pesticides, field biodiversity has been restored, and the number of beneficial insects and animals such as predatory spiders and frogs has increased, forming a healthier farmland ecosystem. The third is social benefits. Through cooperative organizations, small farmers have strengthened their cohesion and voice, not only gaining a fairer market position, but also becoming more active in community affairs. Women played a key role in the project. Some female farmers served as managers and trainers of cooperatives, raising local awareness of gender equality. The adult literacy and basic arithmetic training provided by the project also enabled some cotton farmers to read and write for the first time, which will have a profound impact in the long run. In addition, the successful experience is also spreading in the
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