Developing countries' experiences with GM crops
Transgenic varieties of cotton, genetically modified to produce an insecticidal toxin, were commercialised in China, India and South Africa more than half a decade ago. In these countries, smallholders as well as larger-scale farmers have been growing the GM varieties. More recently, a small number of South African smallholders have begun growing GM, insect-resistant maize – a subsistence food crop. Some of these farmers have gained significant economic advantages from the new crops, while others have complained about their performance.
The experiences of these smallholder farmers have been the focus of intense scrutiny from policy-makers, aid donors, the media, farmers’ groups and NGOs, and the subject of contentious claims and counter-claims from supporters and opponents of GM agriculture. Mainstream agricultural economists have produced a number of peer-reviewed econometric studies which appear to show that the adoption of GM crops has produced widespread benefits for large- and small-scale farmers alike. Farmers’ organisations, NGOs and independent commentators in both North and South, however, have published accounts and analyses which suggest that GM crops are a risky proposition for the poorest and most vulnerable farmers, such as those farming marginal lands without the benefit of irrigation and dependable sources of credit.
After several years of controversy, academic studies have begun to emerge which give a more rounded picture of smallholders’ experiences with GM crops. There is growing concern, in North America as well as in China and India, about the appearance of technical problems with the GM crop model, such as the resurgence of formerly “secondary” pests that are wiping out the economic advantages of GM, insect-resistant cotton in China. Supporters of GM technology argue that the next generation of crops will overcome these problems and more directly address the needs of smallholder farmers, provided they are not stifled by regulation or consumer opposition.
