Field versus Farm in Warangal: Bt Cotton, Higher Yields, and Larger Questions
Stone G (2010). World Development, doi:10.1016.
This paper is relevant to the categories in the following areas:
| Crops: | Cotton |
| Traits: | Insect Resistance, and Insect Res. (BT) |
| Countries: | India |
| Regions: | Asia |
| ImpactAreas: | Yield |
Abstract or Summary:
A longitudinal anthropological study of cotton farming in Warangal District of Andhra Pradesh, India, compares a group of villages before and after adoption of Bt cotton. It distinguishes “field-level” and “farm-level” impacts. During this five-year period yields rose by 18% overall, with greater increases among poor farmers with the least access to information. Insecticide sprayings dropped by 55%, although predation by non-target pests was rising. However shifting from the field to the historically-situated context of the farm recasts insect attacks as a symptom of larger problems in agricultural decision-making. Bt cotton’s opponents have failed to recognize real benefits at the field level, while its backers have failed to recognize systemic problems that Bt cotton may exacerbate.
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