BURKINABE FARMER DESIRES BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR COTTON FIELDS

[BiotechBloggers]

By Ranjana Smetacek
Burkina Faso in Western Africa is one of the poorest countries in the
world. Less than one-fifth of the land is arable, yet 90 percent of
the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture. Where possible,
Burkinabe farmers such as Ouoba Issiaka focus their efforts on their
cotton fields as a cash crop to help them purchase food, send their
children to school and improve the infrastructure in their villages.

"The advantage today is that we have cotton. When the yields are good,
you can send your children to school," says Issiaka, husband and
father of 7 children. Cotton fields in Burkina Faso, however, are
susceptible to frequent drought and insect infestations that
significantly decrease yields.

Since 2003, Burkina Faso has conducted field trials on GM insect-
protected cotton crops that contain a protein from Bacillus
thuringiensis (Bt) to protect the plants from specific lepidopteron
insect pests. Once approved for commercial use, Burkinabe farmers are
expected to benefit from less labor, less pesticide spraying and
increased income. http://www.monsanto.com/biotech-gmo/asp/farmers.asp?cname=Burkina%20Faso&id=OuobaIssiaka#mid

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