Factors for Greater Acceptance of GM Banana

Targeting traits that reflect local production conditions and consumption preferences, and identifying local banana varieties as host plants, may lead to greater acceptability of genetically engineered (GE) banana varieties. Other factors include the appropriate design of biosafety regulatory frameworks, consumer attitudes toward biosafety risk, and potential challenges of marketing transgenic products in domestic and foreign markets. These were conclusions forwarded by “A trait-based model of the potential demand for a genetically engineered food crop in a developing economy” by Svetlana Edmeades and Melinda Smale for the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

Using an economic model, the researchers predict the potential demand of smallholder farmers for GE banana, particularly cooking banana for East African highlands. They note that clients for transgenic banana planting material are likely to be poorer, subsistence-oriented farmers in areas greatly affected by biotic constraints.

The full article was published in the journal Agricultural Economics but is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-0862.2006.00167.x.