Bt Cotton in Burkina Faso Demonstrates That Political Will Is Key for Biotechnology to Benefit Commercial Agriculture in Africa

2014 ◽  
pp. 15-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Traoré ◽  
S. A. O. Héma ◽  
K. Traoré
Keyword(s):  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Bt Cotton ◽  
Commercial Agriculture ◽  
Political Will

scholarly journals Bt cotton seed purity in Burkina Faso: status and lessons learnt

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Larbouga BOURGOU ◽  
Ester KARGOUGOU ◽  
Mahamadou SAWADOGO ◽  
Michel FOK
Keyword(s):  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Seed Production ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
Bt Cotton ◽  
Cotton Production ◽  
Organic Cotton ◽  
Production Scheme ◽  
Cotton Seeds ◽  
Varietal Purity

Abstract Background Since the commercial release of Bt cotton in Burkina Faso in 2009, the issue of seed purity in producers’ fields has rarely been addressed in an unbiased and objective manner. The potential for contamination of conventional seed varieties with Bt traits and the consequent threat to the continuation of organic cotton production has been documented. However, studies are rare on the varietal purity of Bt cotton seeds, despite the implications for the effectiveness and sustainability of their use. This paper compensates for the lack of research on the varietal purity of cotton seeds in Burkina Faso by reporting the results of Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay tests collected in 2015 on samples of both conventional and Bt varieties from 646 fields. Results According to the conservative criteria used to declare the presence of a Bt gene in a given variety (more than 10% of seeds of conventional variety exhibit Bt traits, and at least 90% of seeds of Bt variety exhibit Bt traits), seed purity was very questionable for both types of variety. For the supposedly conventional variety, the Cry1Ac gene was observed in 63.6% of samples, the Cry2Ab gene was observed in 59.3% of samples, and both genes were detected in 52.2% of the seed samples. Only 29.3% of the seeds that were supposed to be of conventional type contained no Bt genes. Conversely, for the labeled Bt variety, the Cry1Ac gene was found in only 59.6% of samples, the Cry2Ab gene was found in 53.6% of the samples, and both genes were found in 40.4% of the samples. Finally, for the seeds that were supposed to contain both genes (Bollguard 2), both Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab genes were found in only 40.4% of the samples, only one of the genes was found in 32.4% of the samples, and 27.2% of the seeds in the samples contained neither. Two factors are responsible for the severe lack of seed purity. First, conventional varieties are being contaminated with Bt traits because of a failure to revise the seed production scheme in Burkina Faso to prevent cross-pollination. Second, the original Bt seeds provided to Burkina Faso lacked varietal purity. The organic sector plays a very minor role in the cotton sector of Burkina Faso (production of organic cotton totaled 453 t in 2018/2019, out of national cotton production of 183 000 t). Nevertheless, the lack of purity in conventional seed varieties is a threat to efforts to expand certified organic cotton production. The poor presence of Bt proteins in supposed Bt varieties undermines their effectiveness in controlling pests and increases the likelihood of the development of resistance among pest populations. Conclusion Our results show the extent of purity loss when inadequate attention is paid to the preservation of seed purity. Pure conventional seeds could vanish in Burkina Faso, while Bt seeds do not carry the combination of the expected Bt traits. Any country wishing to embark on the use of Bt cotton, or to resume its use, as in the case of Burkina Faso, must first adjust its national seed production scheme to ensure that procedures to preserve varietal purity are enforced. The preservation of varietal purity is necessary to enable the launch or the continuation of identity-cotton production. In addition, the preservation of varietal purity is necessary to ensure the sustainable effectiveness of Bt cotton. In order to ensure that procedures to preserve varietal purity are observed, seed purity must be tested regularly, and test results must be published.

scholarly journals Peasant essentialism in GMO debates: Bt cotton in Burkina Faso

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 579-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessie K. Luna
Keyword(s):  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Bt Cotton

scholarly journals The value of trust in biotech crop development: a case study of Bt cotton in Burkina Faso

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Obidimma C Ezezika ◽  
Kathryn Barber ◽  
Abdallah S Daar
Keyword(s):  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Bt Cotton ◽  
Crop Development

scholarly journals Bt cotton seed purity in Burkina Faso: Status and lessons learnt

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larbouga Bourgou ◽  
Ester Kargougou ◽  
Mahamadou Sawadogo ◽  
Michel Fok
Keyword(s):  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Seed Production ◽  
Bt Cotton ◽  
Cotton Production ◽  
Organic Cotton ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Production Scheme ◽  
Bt Genes ◽  
Cotton Seeds ◽  
Bt Gene

Abstract BackgroundSince the commercial release of Bt cotton the issue of seed purity in producers' fields has been little addressed and in an unbalanced way when it was. It is well documented that the loss of purity in conventional seeds has endangered the continuation of organic cotton production. However, studies are rare on the purity of Bt-cotton seeds despite its implications on the effectiveness and sustainability of their use.This paper compensates for the mentioned lack of literature by analyzing data collected in 2015 in Burkina Faso, namely results of ELISA tests on samples of seeds from 646 fields grown with conventional or Bt varieties. ResultsAccording to the conservative criteria retained to declare the presence of Bt gene (more than 10% and 90% of controlled seeds for conventional and Bt variety, respectively), seed purity was very questionable for both types of varieties. For the conventional variety, the presence of Bt gene was observed on 63.6 and 59.3% of samples for Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab, respectively. Only 29.3% of samples corresponded to pure conventional seeds while 52.2% were double Bt seeds. Conversely, for the Bt variety, the presence of Bt gene was observed on 59.6 and 53.6% of samples for Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab, respectively. Actually BG2 seeds with both Bt genes were found in 40.4% of samples against 27.2% of samples of actually conventional seeds while the remaining of 32.4% of samples corresponded to single Bt gene seeds.Two factors affected the severe lack of seed purity. As regard to conventional seeds, it clearly resulted from a phenomenon of contamination, indicative of a failure in adjusting the seed production scheme to the use of Bt-cotton. With regard to the Bt variety, the lack of purity of the original seeds provided to Burkina Faso accounted and should even be the major factor.The observed lack of seed purity is a threat to the initiative of organic cotton production, albeit a very minor production mode in the country. It also calls upon the effectiveness and furthermore the sustainability of Bt cotton to control target pests. ConclusionOur results show the extent of purity loss when no especial attention is paid to the preservation of seed purity. Pure conventional seeds could totally vanish while Bt seeds become a combination of seeds of various types encompassing or not the expected Bt genes.Any country willing to embark the use of Bt cotton, or to resume this use like Burkina Faso, must previously adjust its seed production scheme and enforce its operation. This is a condition to preserve pure seeds both to enable the launch or the continuation of identity-cotton production and to ensure a sustainable effectiveness of Bt-cotton. The mentioned condition implies that seed purity must be checked and the related information shared.

The economic impacts of second generation Bt cotton in West Africa: empirical evidence from Burkina Faso

2008 ◽  
Vol 10 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Vitale ◽  
Harvey Glick ◽  
John Greenplate ◽  
Oula Traore
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Second Generation ◽  
Economic Impacts ◽  
Bt Cotton

Assessment of the effects of transgenic Bt cotton Bollgard II on the abundance of nontarget arthropods in Burkina Faso

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omer S. A. Héma ◽  
Issoufou Ouédraogo ◽  
Oumar Traoré ◽  
Blaise K. Zagré ◽  
Delphine Ouattara
Keyword(s):  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Bt Cotton ◽  
Transgenic Bt Cotton

scholarly journals Farmers’ Preferences for Cotton Cultivation Characteristics: A Discrete Choice Experiment in Burkina Faso

Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 841
Author(s):  
Edouard I. R. Sanou ◽  
Juan Tur-Cardona ◽  
Jeffrey D. Vitale ◽  
Bazoumana Koulibaly ◽  
Godelieve Gheysen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Seed Development ◽  
Discrete Choice Experiment ◽  
Discrete Choice ◽  
Choice Experiment ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Bt Cotton ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages

While a fierce debate about the advantages and disadvantages of genetically modified crops is ongoing, it is surprising that farmers are often not consulted. In Burkina Faso, where insect resistant Bollgard II® cotton (further termed Bt cotton) was commercially released in 2008, studies highlight that cotton producers are in general satisfied with the reduction in insecticide use while the economic benefits are a source of controversy. To gain insight into farmers’ preferences towards attributes in cotton cultivation, a discrete choice experiment (DCE) was developed. Five key attributes were identified to describe improved cotton varieties: seed development and provenance, seed costs, yield, required number of insecticide sprays, and preservation of agricultural practices. Farm-gate surveys were conducted among 324 cotton farmers in Western Burkina Faso. The results show that overall, farmers have a positive preference towards yield improvements and a negative preference towards pure private seed development and towards an increase in the requested number of insecticide applications or in the seed costs. According to their varieties at the time of the surveys (Bt and non-Bt), a difference was observed regarding their preferences for a status quo situation, indicating that those growing Bt had a stronger preference to keep the status quo than non-Bt farmers. When dividing the sample in segments based on the farm size, it was shown that there were different preferences with respect to the development of the variety and the required number of insecticide applications. Overall, it can be concluded from this study that economic benefits (linked to higher yields, lower seed costs, or reduced pesticide use) shape farmer’s preferences.

scholarly journals Evaluation et sélection d’une variété de cotonnier (FK64, Gossypium hirsutum L.) au Burkina Faso

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 869-882
Author(s):  
Larbouga Bourgou ◽  
Windpouiré Vianney Tarpaga ◽  
Sidiki K. Diane ◽  
Denys Sanfo
Keyword(s):  
Gossypium Hirsutum ◽  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Fiber Quality ◽  
Bt Cotton ◽  
Market Demand ◽  
Cotton Production ◽  
Gossypium Hirsutum L ◽  
Seed Index ◽  
Production Areas ◽  
Multilocation Trials

Le coton du Burkina Faso est presqu’entièrement exporté ; les variétés cultivées doivent régulièrement répondre aux exigences du marché. Une fratrie de lignées de cotonnier a été comparée à deux variétés, FK37 et Stam 59A, respectivement dans les zones cotonnières humides et sèches de 2006 à 2009, pour mettre en exergue celle qui améliore les performances agronomiques et technologiques de fibre de ces témoins. A l’issue d’évaluations multilocales, FK64 et FK69 ont été identifiées comme de potentielles nouvelles variétés et testées en milieu paysan. Dans les zones humides, FK64 et FK69 n’ont pas apporté d’amélioration significative ; il est inopportun de les y vulgariser. Dans les zones sèches, FK64 a le mieux performé et a été retenue pour y être vulgarisée. Elle apporte un surplus en pourcentage fibre (+ 0,41%) et en seed index (+ 0,35 g). Aussi, elle apparait meilleure que Stam 59A pour la longueur (+ 1,44 mm) et la ténacité (+ 1,90 g/tex), deux caractéristiques déterminantes du marketing de la fibre. Avec la suspension du coton Bt et le retour à la culture conventionnelle, FK64 lancée en culture commerciale a convaincu. Elle pourrait être candidate à la transformation en cas de retour dans la technologie Bt.Mots clés: Evaluations multilocales, tests variétaux, caractéristiques agronomiques, caractéristiques technologiques, Burkina Faso.   English Title: Assessment and selection of a cultivar of cotton (FK64, Gossypium hirsutum L.) in Burkina Faso Cotton produced in Burkina Faso is almost entirely exported; so cultivars must be developed following the market demand. A sibling of cotton lines was compared to two varieties, FK37 and Stam 59A, respectively in humid and dry cotton production areas between 2006 and 2009 to highlight which one enhances agronomic and fiber quality performances compared to the local control. After multilocation trials, FK64 and FK69 were highlighted as promising news varieties then evaluated under farmer’s conditions of production. In the humid areas, FK64 as well as FK69 did not bring any significant improvement; it was not recommended to release any of them there. In the dry production areas, FK64 performed better, then it was retained to be possibly popularized. It brings a surplus in terms of ginning out turn (+ 0,41%) and seed index (+ 0,35 g). Moreover, it outperformed Stam 59A in fiber length (+ 1,44 mm) and strength (+ 1,90 g/tex), two major cotton fiber marketing properties. At the morrow of the suspension of the Bt cotton and back to conventional production, FK64 was launched in commercial production and it convinced. It could be aspirant to Bt introgression in case country resumes back to the technology.Keywords: multilocation trials, varietal trials, agronomical characteristics, fiber properties, Burkina Faso.

scholarly journals Bt cotton seed purity in Burkina Faso: Status and lessons learnt

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larbouga Bourgou ◽  
Ester Kargougou ◽  
Mahamadou Sawadogo ◽  
Michel Fok
Keyword(s):  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Seed Production ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Bt Cotton ◽  
Cotton Production ◽  
Cry1ac Gene ◽  
Organic Cotton ◽  
Production Scheme ◽  
Cotton Seeds ◽  
Varietal Purity

Abstract BackgroundSince the commercial release of Bt cotton in Burkina Faso in 2009, the issue of seed purity in producers' fields has rarely been addressed in an unbiased and objective manner. The potential for contamination of conventional seed varieties with Bt traits and the consequent threat to the continuation of organic cotton production has been documented. However, studies are rare on the varietal purity of Bt cotton seeds, despite the implications for the effectiveness and sustainability of their use.This paper compensates for the lack of research on the varietal purity of cotton seeds in Burkina Faso by reporting the results of Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay tests collected in 2015 on samples of both conventional and Bt varieties from 646 fields.ResultsAccording to the conservative criteria used to declare the presence of a Bt gene in a given variety (more than 10% of seeds of conventional variety exhibit Bt traits, and at least 90% of seeds of Bt variety exhibit Bt traits), seed purity was very questionable for both types of variety. For the supposedly conventional variety, the Cry1Ac gene was observed in 63.6% of samples, the Cry2Ab gene was observed in 59.3% of samples, and both genes were detected in 52.2% of the seed samples. Only 29.3% of the seeds that were supposed to be of conventional type contained no Bt genes. Conversely, for the labeled Bt variety, the Cry1Ac gene was found in only 59.6% of samples, the Cry2Ab gene was found in 53.6% of the samples, and both genes were found in 40.4% of the samples. Finally, for the seeds that were supposed to contain both genes (Bollguard 2), both Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab genes were found in only 40.4% of the samples, only one of the genes was found in 32.4% of the samples, and 27.2% of the seeds in the samples contained neither.Two factors are responsible for the severe lack of seed purity. First, conventional varieties are being contaminated with Bt traits because of a failure to revise the seed production scheme in Burkina Faso to prevent cross-pollination. Second, the original Bt seeds provided to Burkina Faso lacked varietal purity.The organic sector plays a very minor role in the cotton sector of Burkina Faso (production of organic cotton totaled 453 tonnes in 2018/2019, out of national cotton production of 183 000 tonnes). Nevertheless, the lack of purity in conventional seed varieties is a threat to efforts to expand certified organic cotton production. The poor presence of Bt proteins in supposedly Bt varieties undermines their effectiveness in controlling pests and increases the likelihood of the development of resistance among pest populations.ConclusionOur results show the extent of purity loss when inadequate attention is paid to the preservation of seed purity. Pure conventional seeds could vanish in Burkina Faso, while Bt seeds do not carry the combination of the expected Bt traits. Any country wishing to embark on the use of Bt cotton, or to resume its use, as in the case of Burkina Faso, must first adjust its national seed production scheme to ensure that procedures to preserve varietal purity are enforced. The preservation of varietal purity is necessary to enable the launch or the continuation of identity-cotton production. In addition, the preservation of varietal purity is necessary to ensure the sustainable effectiveness of Bt cotton. In order to ensure that procedures to preserve varietal purity are observed, seed purity must be tested regularly, and test results must be published.

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