Cotton of the Future

By Hannah Bickel, Nastaran Zarnegari and Sarah Tosse

VR glasses are hardly a conventional tool in agriculture: for the past three years, they have been used in rural areas of Burkina Faso and Cameroon as a training tool for sustainable cotton cultivation. The benefits of this innovative approach are now becoming apparent.

Training participants test the VR glasses on site in Cameroon © Deutsche Welle

By Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

GIZ

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) is a globally active provider of international cooperation for sustainable development. It has more than 50 years of experience in a wide range of fields.  

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At the touch of a button, several square kilometers of cotton fields unfold before the farmers' eyes. Soil, plants, pests and beneficial insects move around in a virtual world that is hardly any different from the real one.

 

The training is being piloted by the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) together with the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC). The training does not only focus on increasing the yield of the cotton harvest, but also on protecting the environment and people's health. Saskia Widenhorn was heavily involved in the project development and implementation on behalf of GIZ and was also partly on-site in Cameroon. She reports on the benefits of VR-based training:

 

It is much more like experiencing what you have learned than with traditional training, which makes the learning content even more accessible.

 

The videos are particularly valuable in rural areas. Educational opportunities - and therefore also the opportunities to acquire reading and writing skills - are often limited in these regions. With the help of technology, particularly disadvantaged groups, such as women, also gain access to education.


 

The project follows a "training of trainers" approach, in which multipliers are first trained in the use of VR training in order to then pass on their knowledge to the farmers.

 

Compared to traditional training methods, VR training videos are more intensive and have a more lasting learning effect. Although the purchase and provision of the technical equipment is a costly undertaking, it is one that is worthwhile. Compared to conventional training courses, where travel costs can account for a large proportion of the total costs, there is a major advantage for the training participants: they can complete the training anywhere and are not dependent on the presence of trainers.

 

The video footage for the training material was recorded by ICAC in cotton fields in India at different times of the year to show the plants at different stages of growth and thus ensure a holistic learning experience.

 

The training has now been translated into several languages, including local languages, and rolled out in other countries. So far, 285 farmers from a total of five countries - Zambia, India, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya and Egypt - have been trained and can now pass on their knowledge. More than 20,000 cotton farmers have been encouraged to make their farming methods more sustainable.

A video report on the project was published by Deutschen Welle (DW).

 

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