Village-wide Effects of Agricultural Biotechnology: The Case of Bt Cotton in India

B-Tier
Journal: World Development
Year: 2009
Volume: 37
Issue: 1
Pages: 256-267

Authors (2)

Subramanian, Arjunan (not in RePEc) Qaim, Matin (Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-...)

Score contribution per author:

1.005 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Summary Previous studies on impacts of agricultural biotechnology have mostly focused on direct effects. We suggest an economy-wide framework to analyze income distribution aspects more carefully. For a village in India, a micro-social accounting matrix (SAM) is developed and used to simulate the effects of Bt cotton adoption. Overall, the technology is employment generating, although family labor in cotton production is saved. While substantial benefits are observed for small and large farmers, total household income effects are bigger for larger farms. This is mostly due to differential opportunity incomes of saved family labor. Some research and policy implications are discussed.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:wdevel:v:37:y:2009:i:1:p:256-267
Journal Field
Development
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-29