“Why do farmers use genetically modified (GM) seeds?” we often get asked. We usually respond by saying that they provide farmers economic and environmental benefits, and that we have seen this happen first-hand in Spain and Portugal, Africa, the United States, Canada, South America and Australia — basically everywhere that GM plants are grown.
The problem, in the increasingly cynical society that we live in, is that people are often skeptical of that message because of the messenger: Monsanto. “Well you would say that, wouldn’t you?” people often respond, “After all, you sell them.” We also sell plenty of non-GM seeds, so the question is somewhat unfair, but they do have a point.
So we put the question to Soma Amadou, a cotton farmer in Burkina Faso, who has been growing Bt cotton for several years now. It’s important to know that cotton is more than just a raw material for clothing in Burkina Faso. The local population cooks with cottonseed oil and uses cotton and cotton byproducts as animal feed, helping to make meat and dairy products more accessible to more people and contribute to balanced diets. Cotton is also one of the country’s biggest exports.
We won’t give any spoilers, but welcome you to take a look and see and hear for youselves the benefits that GM technology can bring not just to farmers, but also to the communities in which they live.
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