Better Cotton and Avalo Partner on AI Breeding for Climate-Resilient Cotton
The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) has partnered with agricultural technology company Avalo to advance AI-enabled plant breeding for climate-resilient cotton. Avalo’s platform uses artificial intelligence and plant-trait data to identify genetics linked to resilience, helping accelerate the development of locally adapted varieties that can perform under conditions such as water scarcity and rising temperatures. BCI and Avalo have also worked together to enrol new producers for the 2026 season and test digital tools for streamlining data collection and reporting across programmes.
The partnership is already being applied on BCI-certified farms in Texas’ High Plains, where limited water availability and increasing heat are putting pressure on cotton production. Avalo’s varieties are being grown by farmers working with BCI’s US programme partner Quarterway Cotton Growers, with the aim of reducing reliance on water and agricultural inputs while improving farm economics. The collaboration reflects a broader shift towards combining genetics, agronomy and data to strengthen cotton’s environmental performance and long-term viability for farmers facing climate pressures.
