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 Periodical article |
 Leiden University catalogue |
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| Title: | Burkina Faso's reversal on genetically modified cotton and the implications for Africa |
| Authors: | Dowd-Uribe, Brian Schnurr, Matthew A. |
| Year: | 2016 |
| Periodical: | African Affairs: The Journal of the Royal African Society (ISSN 1468-2621) |
| Volume: | 115 |
| Issue: | 458 |
| Pages: | 161-172 |
| Language: | English |
| Geographic terms: | Burkina Faso South Africa |
| Subjects: | cotton genetic engineering crops agricultural innovations |
| External link: | http://afraf.oxfordjournals.org/content/115/458/161.short |
| Abstract: | This briefing reviews the experiences of South African farmers with genetically modified (GM) cotton, which has emerged as the crucial precedent highlighting the value of GM crops for poor farmers. It then turns to the case of Burkina Faso, which became the showcase for how GM crops can benefit smallholder African farmers. However, as shown here, Burkina Faso has begun a complete phaseout of GM cotton, citing the inferior lint quality of the GM cultivars as the reason for abandoning its cultivation. Burkina Faso's phase-out could stall or even end negotiations to adopt GM cotton in other Francophone African countries with similar concerns over cotton quality. More generally, Burkina Faso's reversal could undermine public trust in GM crops across the continent at a time when many African countries are grappling with the politicized and polarized debate over whether to adopt these new breeding technologies. The authors argue that the retreat of Burkina Faso, one of the most prominent and vocal supporters of GM crops on the continent, could have significant implications for the future of GM crops in Africa. Notes, ref., sum. [ASC Leiden abstract] |
