U.S. Climate Smart Cotton Program

The Trust Protocol is proud to lead the Climate Smart Cotton Program a five-year initiative focused on improving the carbon footprint of the U.S. cotton industry. Our goal is to help cotton growers enhance their profitability, operations, and environmental stewardship.  For brands and retailers, the program will support efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and allow reporting against Scope 3 emissions reductions for cotton used in products.

Producers who have completed enrollment in the Trust Protocol, which includes data entry and bale uploads, are eligible to apply for the Climate Smart Cotton Program.

The goals of the five-year program are to:

Provide technical and financial assistance to U.S. cotton farmers

Advance adoption of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices on 1.2 million U.S. cotton acres

Produce 4.2 million bales of Climate Smart Cotton™

Enroll 1,650 U.S. cotton farmers, including 330 farmers from historically underserved communities

Reduce CO2e emissions by 1.14M metric tons

We’re proud to be one of the first projects to be announced and signed by the United States Department of Agriculture and Secretary Tom Vilsack as part of the department’s Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities pilot projects.

The Climate Smart Cotton Program will build upon the four pillars of CSA practices that support planting cover crops, reduced tillage, and nutrient management. This will allow for improved soil health, increased drought and flood resilience, advanced nutrient use efficiency, decreased soil erosion, and reduced GHG emissions.

Program Partners

The Climate Smart Cotton Program takes the industry to the next step utilizing the Trust Protocol’s foundational reputation and incorporates our program partners’ knowledge and expertise of supply chain outreach, academia, and sustainability.

Program partners include Cotton Council International, Cotton Incorporated, the Soil Health Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Agricenter International, Alabama A&M University and North Carolina A&T State University.

Together, we’re taking the industry to the next step.

Lead Partner

U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol Logo

Program Partners

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Are you a U.S. cotton grower who is interested in learning more about the Climate Smart Cotton Program? Fill out the form below to receive more information.

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Deepika Mishra

Standards and Data Lead (consultant)

Deepika Mishra is the Standards and Data Lead for the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, acting as a consultant for the program. As an accomplished scientist and data analytics specialist, Deepika leads on analysis of the Trust Protocol’s environmental metrics. She collaborates extensively with agricultural research institutions, conservation groups, and food and trade organizations, playing a vital role in the establishment of sustainability and social standards within the industry.

Deepika earned her Ph.D. in plant and soil science from Texas Tech University, specializing in cotton breeding and genetics. With over a decade of experience, she has spearheaded diverse agricultural projects in both India and the United States, covering crops like cotton, cowpeas, castor, sesame, guar, guayule, tomato, and field pennycress (cover crop). Her contributions also include the development and release of multiple cowpea varieties in India during her M.S. studies in vegetable breeding and genetics.