| Transgenic Cotton Doesn't Have the Economic Edge |
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| Written by Erika Fredrickson | |
| Thursday, 27 March 2008 | |
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Transgenic cotton isn't even close to being a silver bullet. A recent study shows several types of Bt cotton and Roundup Ready cotton actually reduce income returns for farmers (measured by yield) by 30-40% over a four year period. Transgenic cotton doesn't need pesticides so that lowers costs, but the costs for transgenic seed kits and fees makes up for that big time. Not only that, but the up-front cash for getting into transgenic cotton forces farmers to borrow money. When the returns don't pan out, farmers can go bankrupt. Massive transgenic cotton failures have contributed to an epidemic of farmer suicides in India. Keep in mind, this isn't some study paid for by anti-GM non-profits or crazy radicals. Far from it. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Georgia and the US Department of Agriculture and just published in Agronomy Journal. The study also used non-transgenic cotton, and all types of cotton were grown to maximize yields. In the end, it was organic cotton that won out. Worldwide supplies of organic cotton have been growing at an average rate of 50% over the past six years. Source: Institute of Science in Society
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  written by warhammer, October 27, 2008
cotton is 1 of the best stuff you can get. it'll always forever reign.
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It's true what our moms said...we are what we eat. In fact, it's truer than they thought. What I eat doesn't just affect me anymore, it affects all of us.
Unfortunately, the story of food can sometimes be complicated. But envirovores help each other out...which is why this blog will be bringing you news, tips, and information about food and the environment every step of the way.
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