Production Risk, Pesticide Use and GM Crop Technology in South Africa

Abstract: Technology involving genetic modification of crops has the potential to make a contribution to rural poverty reduction in many developing countries. Thus far, pesticide-producing ‘Bt’ varieties of cotton have been the main GM crops under cultivation in developing nations. Several studies have evaluated the farm-level performance of Bt varieties in comparison to conventional ones by estimating production technology, and have mostly found Bt technology to be very successful in raising output and/or reducing pesticide input. However, the production risk properties of this technology have not been studied, although they are likely to be important to risk-averse smallholders. This study investigates the output risk aspects of Bt technology by estimating two ‘flexible risk’ production function models allowing technology to independently affect the mean and higher moments of output. The first is the popular Just-Pope model and the second is a more general ‘damage control’ flexible risk mo

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Postprint ; begutachtet (peer reviewed) ; In: Applied Economics ; 40 (2008) 19 ; 2489-2500

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Mannheim
• (when): 2008
• Creator: Shankar, Bhavani ; Bennett, Richard ; Morse, Steve

Further information

• DOI: 10.1080/00036840600970161
• URN: urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-239980
• Rights: Open Access unbekannt; Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 14.08.2025, 10:56 AM CEST