Crop biotechnology continues to benefit the environment and farmers
Crop biotechnology continues to benefit the environment and farmers
UK-based PG Economic recently released the report “GM crops: global socio-economic and environmental impacts 1996-2012” by co-authors Graham Brookes and Peter Barfoot who are PG Economics directors.
The report once again proves that crop biotechnology continues to provide major environmental benefits and allow farmers to grow more, using fewer resources. A majority of these benefits are in developing countries.
‘In the 17th year of widespread adoption, crops developed through genetic modification delivered more environmentally friendly farming practices while providing clear improvements to farmer productivity and income’ said Graham Brookes, director of PG Economics, co-author of the report.
‘Half of the farm income gains and the majority of the environmental gains associated with changes in pesticide use and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions occurred in developing countries,’ he added.
The report points that crop biotechnology has contributed to significantly reducing the release of greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural practices. This results from less fuel use and additional soil carbon storage from reduced tillage with GM crops.
In 2012, this was equivalent to removing 27 billion kg of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or equal to removing 11.9 million cars from the road for one year;
Besides, crop biotechnology has reduced pesticide spraying by 503 million kg from 1996-2012, equal to the total amount of pesticide active ingredient applied to arable crops in the EU 27 countries for nearly two crop years.
As a result, this has decreased the environmental impact associated with herbicide and insecticide use on the area planted to biotech crops by 18.7 per cent.
Between 1996 and 2012, crop biotechnology was responsible for an additional 122 million tonnes of soybeans and 231 million tonnes of corn, the report noted. The technology has also contributed an extra 18.2 million tonnes of cotton lint and 6.6 million tonnes of canola.
Besides, GM crops are allowing farmers to grow more without using additional land while crop biotechnology helps farmers earn reasonable incomes for their work.
The net economic benefit at the farm level in 2012 was $18.8 billion, equal to an average increase in income of $117/hectare. For the 17 year period (1996-2012), the global farm income gain has been $116.6 billion;
The highest yield gains were obtained by farmers in developing countries, many of which are resource-poor and farm small plots of land;
Crop biotechnology continues to be a good investment for farmers around the world. The cost farmers paid for accessing crop biotechnology in 2012 ($5.6 billion payable to the seed supply chain) was equal to 23 per cent of the total gains (a total of $24.4 billion inclusive of the $18.8 billion income gains).
Globally, farmers received an average of $3.33 for each dollar invested in GM crop seeds, according to the report.
Of this, farmers in developing countries received $3.74 for each dollar invested in GM crop seeds in 2012, while farmers in developed countries received $3.04 for each dollar invested in GM crop seed.
The report also points that the higher share of total technology gains realised by farmers in developing countries relative to farmers in developed countries mainly reflects weaker provision and enforcement of intellectual property rights coupled with higher average levels of benefits in developing countries.
PG Economics Limited is a specialist provider of advisory and consultancy services to agriculture and other natural resource-based industries.
vir
