Ten Years of Genetically Modified Crops in Argentine AgricultureTrigo,E. J. ; Cap,E. J.Produced by: Instituto Nacional de Tecnolog¡a Agropecuaria
(National Institute for Agricultural Technology),
Argentina (2006)
Argentina is the world's second largest producer of genetically modified (GM) crops, after the United States, with over 17 million hectares planted. This paper explores the assertion that the introduction of GM crops into Argentinian agriculture represents a turning point not only for the farm sector but for the economy as a whole.
Several positive impacts resulting from the introduction of GM crops, particularly with regards to herbicide tolerant soybeans (which now account for over 90% of all soybeans grown) are noted by the authors. These include:
- the release of GM soybeans is thought to have contributed to the creation of an estimated one million jobs representing a 36% of the total increase in employment over the period under study
- the consumer, at the world level, has benefited from the release of herbicide tolerant varieties of soybean. The accumulated savings in consumer spending are estimated at almost 26 billion US dollars
- the expansion of the GM soybean crop has impacted positively on the productivity of livestock production systems, both beef and dairy.
However, the authors argue, it has become clear that this rapid expansion process has not been free of costs and uncertainties. Points highlighted include:
- small-scale farmers have become dependent upon GM soybean crops to ensure the short-term economic viability of their farms, a strategy which is inconsistent with long-term environmental sustainability
- the tremendous expansion of the soybean crop has lead to a strong repositioning of agriculture within both the economy and the foreign trade of the country
- this has raised concerns about the possible negative impacts of the "soyafication" process, which include excessive dependence of exports on one single commodity, implications associated with the future fertility of the country's soils and the potential detrimental effects of the crop expansion on fragile ecosystems.
The paper concludes by asserting that, whilst negative impacts have been identified, they should not detract from the clearly positive balance of the first decade of GM crops in Argentina. Nevertheless, they do emphasise the need for a debate that should take place, on ways to both optimise the potential of new innovations in this field, and limit the potential negative effects that they might cause.
