Farm-level economic impact of biotechnology: smallholder Bt cotton farmers in South Africa

Bennett, R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3226-8370, Ismael, Y. and Morse, S. (2002) Farm-level economic impact of biotechnology: smallholder Bt cotton farmers in South Africa. Outlook on Agriculture, 31 (2). pp. 107-111. ISSN 0030-7270 doi: 10.5367/000000002101293949

Abstract/Summary

This paper describes the method and findings of a survey designed to explore the economic benefits of the adoption of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton for smallholder farmers in the Republic of South Africa. The study found reason for cautious optimism in that the Bt variety generally resulted in a per hectare increase in yields and value of output with a reduction in pesticide costs, which outweighed the increase in seed costs to give a substantial increase in gross margins. Thus, these preliminary results suggest that Bt cotton is good for smallholder cotton farmers and the environment.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/27362
Item Type	Article
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Agriculture, Policy and Development > Department of Agri-Food Economics & Marketing
Publisher	IP Publishing
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