Expert Panel on Social, Environmental and Economic Performance of Cotton Production (SEEP) FACTORS INFLUENCING THE USE OF PESTICIDES IN COTTON IN BRAZIL 1. Cotton Pests in Brazil

Cotton, a plant of the Malvaceae family, is cultivated today in Brazil in three macro regions: the North– Northeast (the states of Tocantins, Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas and Bahia); the Midwest (the states of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul and Goiás); and the Southeast (the states of São Paulo, Paraná and Minas Gerais). In all these states all the different production systems are found, from very small family farming units of <4 ha, small farming units of <100 ha, and large farming units of >1,000 ha. The larger cotton growers tend to use a higher level of technology; work health and safety monitoring; BMP (best management practices); IPM (insect pest management); and a better level of environmental monitoring.