Press release: Genetically modified cotton improves nutrition of small-scale farmers in India

Nr. 111/2013 - 06.06.2013

Increased incomes lead to better food access and dietary quality

(pug) The adoption of genetically modified cotton has significantly improved the nutrition situation of small-scale farmers in India. In a recent study, scientists from the University of Göttingen used data from over 500 randomly selected small-farm households, which they had surveyed regularly over a seven-year period. Within this time frame, the rate of Indian farmers growing genetically modified cotton rose to 90 percent. Meanwhile, the rate of households in which members suffered from undernourishment decreased by 15 to 20 percent. The study was published in the academic journal PLOS ONE.

„The adoption of genetically modified cotton in India has increased yields and incomes of small-scale farmers, enabling families to afford more and better food,“ says Matin Qaim, the study’s lead author. The scientists‘ survey included a detailed food consumption recall, in which households were asked about the quantity consumed of different food items. The results showed a significant improvement in calorie consumption and dietary quality.

Half of the world’s undernourished people are small-scale farmers in developing countries. The role of genetically modified crops in the fight against hunger is the subject of intense public dispute. This debate primarily focuses on whether or not genetically modified crops can contribute to a sustainable increase in food production. „However, food security is not only a question of production, but also of economic and social access to food,“ says Qaim. „Hence, raising incomes in the small-farm sector is an important starting point in the global fight against hunger.“

Original publication: Matin Qaim, Shahzad Kouser. Genetically Modified Crops and Food Security. PLOS ONE 2013. http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0064879 (Open Access).

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Matin Qaim
Georg-August University Göttingen
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development
Platz der Göttinger Sieben 5, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Phone +49 551 39-4806
Email: mqaim@uni-goettingen.de
Web: www.uni-goettingen.de/en/42360.html