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Benefits of Transgenic Plants: A Socioeconomic Perspective

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Book cover Genetic Modification of Plants

Part of the book series: Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry ((AGRICULTURE,volume 64))

Abstract

Transgenic crops have been used commercially for over ten years. So far, mostly herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant Bt crops have been employed. Available impact studies show that these crops are beneficial to farmers and consumers and produce large aggregate welfare gains. Moreover, transgenic crops bring about environmental and health benefits. Bt crops in particular are well suited also for small-scale farmers, contributing to higher yields, more rural employment, and higher household incomes. In many cases, farmers in developing countries even benefit more than farmers in developed countries, because of weaker intellectual property protection and differences in agroecological and socioeconomic conditions. The advantages of future applications could even be much bigger. These results suggest that transgenic crops can contribute significantly to food security, poverty reduction, and sustainable development at the global level.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    More recently, a different Bt maize technology was commercialized in the United States to control the corn rootworm complex, against which significant amounts of chemical insecticides are used in conventional agriculture. However, representative studies on the impacts of this new Bt maize technology under farmer conditions are not available.

  2. 2.

    Especially for India, there are still reports by biotech critics that Bt cotton ruins smallholder farmers. However, such reports do not build on representative data. Gruère et al. (2008) showed that the occasional claim of a link between Bt cotton adoption and farmer suicide cannot be substantiated.

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Acknowledgement

The authors thank the German Research Foundation (DFG), which financially supported most of their research on the socioeconomic impacts of transgenic crops.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Georg-August-University of Goettingen, Platz der Goettinger Sieben 5, 37073, Goettingen, Germany

    Matin Qaim

  2. University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom

    Arjunan Subramanian

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  1. Matin Qaim
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  2. Arjunan Subramanian
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Correspondence to Matin Qaim .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Botanisches Institut, Universität Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, Kiel, 24118, Germany

    Frank Kempken

  2. Inst. Pflanzenbau und Pflanzenzüchtung, Universität Kiel, Olshausenstr. 40, Kiel, 24098, Germany

    Christian Jung

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Qaim, M., Subramanian, A. (2010). Benefits of Transgenic Plants: A Socioeconomic Perspective. In: Kempken, F., Jung, C. (eds) Genetic Modification of Plants. Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry, vol 64. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02391-0_28

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