1 / 1

Evaluation of the EU's First GM Crop: Agronomic and Economic Insights from Bt Maize in Spain

This study examines the agronomic and economic performance of Bt maize, the only genetically modified crop authorized for cultivation in the EU. Conducted in Spain, which has the highest adoption rate of Bt maize, the research surveyed 402 farmers over three growing seasons. Results reveal that Bt maize adopters used fewer pesticides and achieved higher yields and gross margins compared to non-adopters. This research provides crucial insights into the real-world implications of GM crops in Europe and serves as a foundational study for future assessments.

annot
Télécharger la présentation

Evaluation of the EU's First GM Crop: Agronomic and Economic Insights from Bt Maize in Spain

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The EU’s first GM crop – its agronomic and economic performance • Background and rationale of the study • Globally, genetically modified crops, or GM crops, are adopted on a large scale (102 million hectares in 2006). • In the EU the cultivation of GM crops remains very low (0.06 million hectares in 2006). • The only GM crop authorised for cultivation in the EU is insect-resistant maize, or Bt maize (see Fig. 1). • Spain is the EU country with the biggest production area and the highest adoption rate of Bt maize (see Fig. 2). • Bt maize in Spain constitutes the first example of a GM crop being commercially cultivated in the EU. • It offered the opportunity to analyse the actual agronomic and economic performance of a GM crop in the EU. • Methodology and data used • Survey of Spanish maize farmers (n=402) covering three growing seasons (2002-2004) in three relevant regions. • In each region a province was selected where maize cultivation was important and adopters were present. • Results of the study • On average, adopters of Bt maize used less pesticides, had higher yields and higher economic gross margins compared to non-adopters (see Fig. 3 & 4). • Efficiency gains can be attributed to Bt maize: adopters and non-adopters did not differ in socio-economic characteristics. • Output and relevanceof the study • First-class scientific publication: Gómez-Barbero et al., Nature Biotechnology 26: 384-386, 2008. • Publication as an IPTS Technical Report (EUR 22778). • Requested by Commission DGs and Services and used for several briefings of EU Commissioners – being the only scientific study covering the actual performance of a GM crop in the EU. Fig. 1: Comparison between Bt maize (left) and conventional maize showing insect damage in the cob (right). Fig. 2: Adoption of GM maize in selected countries and regions (2005). Fig. 3: Yield difference of Bt maize over conventional maize (by region). Fig. 4: Insecticide treatments of maize fields per season. Contact Dr. A.J. Stein and Dr. E. Rodríguez-Cerezo European Commission • Joint Research Centre Institute for Prospective Technological Studies Tel. +34 95 448 8385 • Fax +34 95 448 8434 alexander.stein@ec.europa.eu

More Related