Key global economic and environmental impacts of genetically modified (GM) crop use 1996-2012
This paper summarises the economic and key environmental impacts that crop biotechnology has had on global agriculture.The analysis shows that there have been very significant net economic benefits at the farm level amounting to $18.8 billion in 2012 and $116.6 billion for the seventeen year period 1996-2012 (in nominal terms).These economic gains have been divided roughly 50% each to farmers in developed and developing countries.GM technology have also made important contributions to increasing global production levels of the four main crops, having added 122 million tonnes and 230 million tonnes respectively, to the global production of soybeans and maize since the introduction of the technology in the mid 1990s.In terms of key environmental impacts, the adoption of the technology has reduced pesticide spraying by 503 million kg (-8.8%) and, as a result, decreased the environmental impact associated with herbicide and insecticide use on these crops (as measured by the indicator the Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ)) by 18.7%.The technology has also facilitated a significant reduction in the release of greenhouse gas emissions from this cropping area, which, in 2012, was equivalent to removing 11.88 million cars from the roads.
yield cost income production genetically modified crops pesticide carbon sequestration no tillage environmental impact quotient
Graham Brookes Peter Barfoot
PG Economics.Co.UK, Dorchester, UK
国际会议
International Workshop on Global Status of Transgenic Crops(全球转基因农作物发展现状和未来展望国际研讨会)
武汉
英文
17-23
2014-10-17（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）