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GM crops and gender issues

Nature Biotechnology volume 28, pages 404–406 (2010)Cite this article

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To the Editor:

Correspondence in the December issue by Jonathan Gressel1 not only states that gender issues in rural settings have not been adequately addressed with respect to weed control biotech but also asserts that such technology can increase the quality of life of rural women in developing countries. Improved weed control is a labor-saving technology that can result in less employment in a labor surplus rural economy. Often in rural areas, wage income is the main source of income and an important determinant of the quality of life, particularly where employment opportunities are generally limited2. Apart from soil preparation, planting and weeding, harvesting is also 'femanual' work that can generate more employment if yields are higher. Biotech can enhance the quality of life of women but only if the technology is associated with overall generation of rural employment.

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Figure 1: Returns to labor from Bt cotton and conventional cotton in rural India.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Warwick, Warwick Manufacturing Group, Coventry, UK

    Arjunan Subramanian & Kerry Kirwan

  2. University of Warwick, WHRI, Warwickshire, UK

    Arjunan Subramanian & David Pink

  3. Georg-August University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany

    Matin Qaim

Authors
  1. Arjunan Subramanian
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  2. Kerry Kirwan
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  3. David Pink
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  4. Matin Qaim
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Correspondence to Arjunan Subramanian.

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Supplementary Table 1, Supplementary Fig.1 and Supplementary Methods (PDF 98 kb)

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Subramanian, A., Kirwan, K., Pink, D. et al. GM crops and gender issues. Nat Biotechnol 28, 404–406 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0510-404

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