Can the Poor Help GM Crops? Technology, representation &amp; cotton in the Makhathini flats, South Africa

Witt, H. H.; Patel, Rajeev; Schnurr, Matthew A.

doi:10.1080/03056240601000945

Cited by 37 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…To minimise exclusion of relevant papers, test searches were performed using different combinations of search terms. A substantial amount of the existing research on the social impacts of GM crops focuses on the developing world in general, and on the rural poor in particular [13,16,27]. To cover all relevant social impact literature, it proved necessary to include the term "poverty" in the search, as a test search confirmed that this resulted in a significant number of relevant hits not captured otherwise.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Impacts of GM Crops in Agriculture: A Systematic Literature Review

et al. 2015

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It has recently been argued that the fragmented knowledge on the social impacts of genetically modified (GM) crops is contributing to the polarised debate on the matter. This paper addresses this issue by systematically reviewing 99 peer-reviewed journal articles published since 2004 on the social impacts of GM crops in agriculture; summarising current knowledge, and identifying research gaps. Economic impact studies currently dominate the literature and mainly report that GM crops provide economic benefits for farmers. Other social impacts are less well studied, but present a more complex picture. Studies on access to and benefits of GM crops show that these vary significantly depending on the political and regulatory setting. Substantial evidence indicates that intellectual property rights (IPR) and the private industry's dominance limit the access and utility of available GM crops to many farmers. Wellbeing is frequently discussed in the literature, but rarely investigated empirically. Existing evidence is contradictory and inconclusive. Impact studies from the Global North are virtually non-existent. Moreover, OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2015, 7 8599 two-thirds of publications are based on previously published empirical evidence, indicating a need for new empirical investigations into the social impacts of GM crops in agriculture.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Impacts of GM Crops in Agriculture: A Systematic Literature Review

et al. 2015

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“…Farmers on the irrigation scheme have enjoyed considerably more government support and resources than those on the drylands. 24,25 An estimated 2-3 women worked per farm, and approximately 4,400 women worked in agriculture on the Makhatini Flats. Before the survey, farmer unions and the community were informed about the study through workshops.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occupational Activities Associated with a Reported History of Malaria among Women Working in Small-Scale Agriculture in South Africa

Naidoo¹,

London²,

Burdorf³

et al. 2011

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Abstract. Malaria-endemic agricultural communities are at risk for this disease because of crop and agricultural activities. A cross-sectional survey among women in small-scale agriculture on irrigated and dryland areas in Makhatini Flats, KwaZulu-Natal South Africa explored associations with self-reported history of malaria, including demographics, crop production, and specific agricultural activities. Ninety-eight (15.2%) of 644 women reported malaria while working in agriculture. More women working in drylands than women working in irrigation scheme reported disease (18.4% versus 10.9%; P < 0.05). Working self or family-owned farms (prevalence ratio [PR] = 2.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3-5.2), spraying pesticides (PR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.4-3.8), cultivating sugar cane (PR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.1-2.3), and cultivating cotton and mangoes (PR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.1-2.6) were positively associated with a history of malaria while working in agriculture. This study suggests that certain agricultural activities and types of crop production may increase the risk for malaria among women working in small-scale agriculture.

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“…Smallholders, too, are poorly specified -one is led away from awkward class-filtered questions like asking whether the people displaced by 'land mobility' were not perhaps former and still aspiring smallholders. Indeed, as recent analysis of agricultural technology suggests (Witt et al 2006;Richards et al 2010) the category of 'the poor' itself seems to help the cause of agricultural technology, rather than the other way around (Glover 2010).…”

Section: Gendermentioning

confidence: 99%