Fibre crops
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Browsing Fibre crops by Subject "Biotechnology"
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Item Introducing BT Cotton - Policy Lessons for Smallholder Farmers in Kenya, 2004.(African Center for Technology Studies Acts Press, P.O. Box 45917, Nairobi, Kenya ICRAF Complex, United Nations Avenue, Gigiri Tel.: (254-2) 524700 or 524000 Fax: 524701 or 524001: E-mail:acts@cgiar.org, 2004) Wakhungu, J.W.; Judi, W.W.; Kenya Agricultural Research InstituteThis study investigates the extent to which Bt. cotton can address production constraints facing smallholder cotton farmers in Kenya. A historical overview of the decline in cotton production in Kenya is presented. It unravels the various causes of the decline, including the economic, institutional and technological facets. Evidence and lessons are drawn from China, India, South Africa and Mexico to give an account of the extent and circumstances under which Bt. cotton can be harnessed in Kenya to address causes of this decline. The study is driven by the premises that the policy, institutional and regulatory context in which the technology has been introduced is extremely fundamental and will to a large extent determine whether cotton farmers will reap the benefits or not. The study is structured as follows: The first chapter comprises of the introduction, background to the study sites and the cotton industry in Kenya, overview of the problem, justification and methodology. The second chapter locates the theoretical framework and conceptual lens of the study. The third chapter identifies various constraints facing the cotton sector in Kenya. Empirical data on cotton production and marketing in the study sites is presented. This chapter examines the intricacies of cotton trade from the broader global perspective and how a few countries determine cotton supply and demand and consequently producer prices. The opportunities and challenges that AGOA offers are analysed from an institutional perspective. This chapter also reflects on farmers' assessment of the AGOA initiative. The fourth chapter is dedicated to biotechnology and agrarian change. It focuses on the current status and trends in biotechnology at the global, regional and national levels. The state of biotechnology in Kenya is reviewed. The position of Bt. cotton vis-a-vis other genetically modified crops is discerned. Evidence on Bt. cotton from case study countries and the conditions under which Bt. cotton has been introduced and commercialised in those countries is examined in chapter five. Issues emerging from the previous chapters feed into the last chapter on analysis and implications for Kenya. It isolates the conditions required for harnessing Bt. cotton for smallholder farmers in Kenya. The understanding of biotechnology in general and perceptions on Bt. cotton in particular, are enunciated from the standpoint of farmers, ginners and government agricultural officers. Recommendations and conclusions are given based on issues emerging from and cutting across the entire study.
