The Economic and Environmental Impacts of Agbiotech

After almost fifteen years in the laboratory and in the test plots, bioengineered crops arrived to the market in the mid-1990s. Adoption was rapid and wide spread. In 1996, less than 4 million acres in six countries were planted with bioengineered crops. By 2001, worldwide adoption had expanded to more than 115 million acres. Important questions quickly followed. What were the factors driving the widespread adoption and rapid diffusion of these first-generation agrobiotech nologies? What were their economic and environmental impacts? How were such impacts distributed among large and small producers, innovators and adopters, developed and developing countries, exporters and importers, domestic and foreign consumers? How were such impacts and their distribu tion affected by market structure and government policies? A growing body of literature has provided valuable answers to some of these questions. However, an assessment that accounts for the full range of differences in geography, weather, pests, farm structures, and institutions had not been completed. It brings together leading This book provides just such an assessment. authors from around the world who have analyzed the production, environ mental, and economic impacts of first-generation crop biotechnologies. By pooling experiences across various countries, time periods, crops, and traits, this global panel is able to synthesize a complete picture of the impacts of first-generation crop biotechnologies.

1. Economic and Environmental Impacts of Agrobiotechnology: an Introduction. - 2. The Impact of Agricultural Biotechnology on the Conventional Agrochemical Market. - 3. Trends in Pesticide Use Since the Introduction of Genetically Engineered Crops. - 4. Economic and Environmental Impacts of Herbicide Tolerant and Insect Resistant Crops in the United States. - 5. Environmental Effects of Glyphosate Resistant Soybeans in the United States. - 6. Adoption of Cotton Biotechnology in the United States: Implications for Impact Assessment. - 7. The Economic Impact of Herbicide Tolerant Canola in Canada. - 8. Deployment and Impact of Transgenic Bt Cotton in Australia. - 9. Transgenic Crops in Spain. - 10. Transgenic Cotton in Mexico: A Case Study of the Comarca Lagunera. - 11. Adoption of Herbicide Tolerant Soybeans in Argentina: An Economic Analysis. - 12. The Impact of Bt Cotton in China. - 13. The Adoption and Impact of Agricultural Biotechnology in South Africa. - 14. Economic Effects of Bt Cotton Adoption and the Impact of Government Programs. - 15. Substitution and Complementarities in the Biotechnology and Pesticide Markets: A Theoretical Framework. - 16. Economic and Environmental Impacts of Agrobiotechnology: Conclusions. - List of Figures. - List of Tables.