Better Cotton Initiative recognizes women leaders in sustainable Indian agriculture

At Bharat Tex, India’s largest textile trade show, the Switzerland-based Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) and the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) have awarded women farmers for their commitment to sustainability and innovation. The awards ceremony took place during the trade event, which runs from July 14 to July 17, 2026, in New Delhi.

The ‘Sustainability Champion’, ‘Innovation in Sustainable Cotton Cultivation’, and ‘Community Leadership and Peer Influence’ awards recognized and honored the efforts of three women who have demonstrated the wide-ranging environmental, social, and economic benefits of more sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices. The awards were presented by the Indian minister of state for textiles, Pabitra Margherita.

Leadership in regenerative practices

Preeti Shreedhar Dombe, who received the Sustainability Champion Award, has demonstrated the transformative potential of regenerative practices over five years. By switching to biological inputs, conserving water, and gradually improving soil health, Dombe has created a blueprint for what regenerative and climate-resilient agriculture can look like.

Sushma Kiran Deshmukh was recognized with the Innovation in Sustainable Cotton Cultivation Award for her approach to farming, which includes the use of biological pest management and the application of compost containing worms and agricultural waste. These methods have helped Deshmukh improve soil health and yields, while also reducing operational costs.

Empowering rural enterprises

Pooja Suryawanshi was chosen for the Community Leadership and Peer Influence Award for her work in the role of president of the Savitribai Self-Help Women Savings Group. Suryawanshi has played a leading role in empowering rural women and helped launch and grow a women-led enterprise producing biological pest control products. Her leadership helped the group build farmer awareness, establish customer linkages, and promote eco-friendly alternatives to chemical pesticides.

“Cotton is the backbone of India’s textile industry, and women are the backbone of Indian cotton farming,” said Jyoti Narain Kapoor, director of BCI’s India programme, in a press statement. Kapoor noted that while cotton is often associated with high water use, pesticide dependence, and declining soil health, progressive farmers across India are showing that the crop can be grown more sustainably.

Trade show strategy sessions

Kapoor added that in what is the United Nations’ International Year of the Woman Farmer, it has been a privilege creating this platform to recognize how these progressive leaders drive the industry into the future. Beyond the awards ceremony, BCI staff participated in roundtable discussions throughout Bharat Tex. BCI senior director of demand and engagement, Eva Benavidez Clayton, contributed to a session exploring how Indian companies can navigate a rapidly changing global trade scenario.

Kapoor took part in a separate roundtable focused on building sustainability as a strategic lever for India’s textile sector. Concurrently, BCI senior director of programmes and country operations, Iveta Ouvry, joined a discussion on reinstating India’s cotton competitiveness, sharing insights on BCI’s capacity strengthening and regenerative work with local farmers.

BCI fundraising director, Rebecca Owen, also joined a panel on traceability solutions for transparency and global competitiveness, where she shared initial insights from the piloting of farm-level traceability tools by the organization in Gujarat.