Bt Cotton and Farmer Suicides in India: An Evidence-based Assessment

Gruère, Guillaume; Sengupta, Debdatta

doi:10.1080/00220388.2010.492863

Cited by 133 publications

(117 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Especially with a view to developing countries, there are widespread concerns that GM crops fail to benefit smallholder farmers and contribute to social and economic hardship (4,5). Much of this debate focuses on Bt cotton (5)(6)(7)(8)(9), as this is currently the most widely used GM crop technology among smallholders. Using comprehensive data from India, we show that these concerns about negative social and economic impacts are not backed by representative empirical evidence.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic impacts and impact dynamics of Bt ( Bacillus thuringiensis ) cotton in India

Kathage

Qaim

2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

247

190

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Despite widespread adoption of genetically modified crops in many countries, heated controversies about their advantages and disadvantages continue. Especially for developing countries, there are concerns that genetically modified crops fail to benefit smallholder farmers and contribute to social and economic hardship. Many economic studies contradict this view, but most of them look at short-term impacts only, so that uncertainty about longer-term effects prevails. We address this shortcoming by analyzing economic impacts and impact dynamics of Bt cotton in India. Building on unique panel data collected between 2002 and 2008, and controlling for nonrandom selection bias in technology adoption, we show that Bt has caused a 24% increase in cotton yield per acre through reduced pest damage and a 50% gain in cotton profit among smallholders. These benefits are stable; there are even indications that they have increased over time. We further show that Bt cotton adoption has raised consumption expenditures, a common measure of household living standard, by 18% during the 2006–2008 period. We conclude that Bt cotton has created large and sustainable benefits, which contribute to positive economic and social development in India.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic impacts and impact dynamics of Bt ( Bacillus thuringiensis ) cotton in India

Kathage

Qaim

2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

247

190

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“…Some had learned to turn the opportunities of the Green Revolution to their advantage through using hybrid chemical solutions, or through state financing plans, while others grappled with new problems of debt, chemical overuse, and a wellpublicized wave of farmer suicides (Galab, Revathi, and Reddy 2009;Gruère and Sengupta 2011;Pandian 2011;Scoones 2006). A narrative of agrarian crisis again reared its head, demanding solutions in line with India's conceptions of development.…”

Section: Three Phases Of Development In the Social Life Of Cottonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Redefining success: the political ecology of genetically modified and organic cotton as solutions to agrarian crisis

Flachs

2016

Journal of Political Ecology

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The transnational spread of law and technology in Indian agricultural development has passed through three distinct phases since the mid-19 th century. In each case, a narrative of agrarian crisis allowed for new state and corporate interventions, conceived by American and British agribusiness, within the existing logics of Indian smallholder agriculture. These begun with colonial British industrial cotton projects in the 1840s, continuing with Green Revolution agriculture, and on contemporary GM and organic cotton farms. In each case, farmers developed strategies through a frictive, contentious adoption of new technologies and built new avenues to success that worked for some farmers and failed for others. In this article I draw on ethnographic fieldwork and household surveys conducted in nine villages from 2012-2014 in Telangana, India. As with previous development initiatives, the US-born legal structures that defined high-tech GM and low-tech organic agriculture were adopted in India without major changes. I argue, however that their actual implementation by farmers has required a significant shift in the ways that people manage the agricultural economy. Keywords: Genetically Modified crops, organic agriculture, development, South India RésuméLa diffusion transnationale de droit et de la technologie dans le développement agricole indien a passé par trois phases distinctes depuis le milieu du 19ème siècle. Dans chaque cas, un récit de la crise agraire a permis de nouvelles interventions de l'Etat et des entreprises, conçu par l'agro-industrie américaine et britannique, dans les logiques existantes de la petite agriculture indienne. Ceux-ci commencé avec des projets de coton industriel britanniques dans les années 1840, la poursuite de la révolution verte, et avec l'utilisation contemporaine des variétés GM et le coton biologique. Dans chaque cas, les agriculteurs ont développé des stratégies grâce à une adoption controversée de nouvelles technologies et construit de nouvelles avenues à succès qui ont travaillé pour certains agriculteurs et échoué pour d'autres. Dans cet article, je tire sur des enquêtes de terrain et des ménages ethnographiques menées dans neuf villages 2012-2014 dans Telangana, en Inde. Comme avec les initiatives de développement antérieures, les structures juridiques des États-Unis qui ont défini de haute technologie (GM) et low-tech (agriculture biologique) ont été adoptées en Inde sans changements majeurs. Je soutiens cependant que leur mise en oeuvre par les agriculteurs a nécessité un changement important dans la façon dont les gens gèrent l'économie agricole. Mots-clés: cultures génétiquement modifiées, l'agriculture biologique, le développement, Inde du Sud ResumenLa difusión transnacional de las leyes y la tecnología en el desarrollo agrícola en India ha tenido tres fases desde la mitad del siglo XIX. En cada caso, una narrativa de crisis agraria permitió nuevas intervenciones estatales y corporativas, concebidas por la industria agraria estadounidense y británica, en la lógi...

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“…6 Despite persistent media stories, reports of 'studies' and globally-distributed films alleging mass suicides driven by Bt cotton, farmers of all size classes and social standing have adopted the technology rapidly, almost universally, and to good effect. 7 Seed technology has proved to be scale-neutral and useful. Most observers expected this success story to be followed rapidly by other Bt crops in India.…”

Section: Risk and Uncertaintymentioning

confidence: 99%

On risk and regulation: Bt crops in India

Herring

2014

GM Crops & Food

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Bt Cotton and Farmer Suicides in India: An Evidence-based Assessment

Cited by 133 publications

References 12 publications

Economic impacts and impact dynamics of Bt ( Bacillus thuringiensis ) cotton in India

Economic impacts and impact dynamics of Bt ( Bacillus thuringiensis ) cotton in India

Redefining success: the political ecology of genetically modified and organic cotton as solutions to agrarian crisis

On risk and regulation: Bt crops in India

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