Mistranslating refuge crops: analyzing policy mobilities in the context of Indian Bt cotton production

Abstract

Abstract. In light of recent pink bollworm (PBW) pest infestations in several cotton-producing states in India, farmers of genetically engineered Bt cotton (Bt for Bacillus thuringiensis) have faced fierce criticism for their noncompliance with the national insect resistance management (IRM) strategy. We argue that this criticism is short-sighted and one-dimensional. Building upon the literature on policy assemblages we show that the implementation of the IRM strategy in India was seriously flawed due to government-induced mistranslations of foreign strategies in the form of policy-diluting alterations. We first show that India's IRM strategy differs substantially from successful strategies pursued in the USA or China. Second, we present results from a representative survey in the state of Telangana (n= 457) and show that India's IRM strategy neglects moral economic considerations and entrepreneurial agricultural logic that Indian cotton farmers strive for. We conclude that pink bollworm pest infestations in India are not the fault of farmers but rather the result of a mismanaged biotechnology project undertaken by the Indian government and its associated responsible ministries.

Physiological, Nutritional and Transcriptomic Responses of Sturgeon (Acipenser schrenckii) to Complete Substitution of Fishmeal with Cottonseed Protein Concentrate in Aquafeed

“…Cottonseed protein concentrate (CPC), a high-protein product derived from cottonseed flakes, has received attention due to its large-scale availability [ 12 ]. China and India are the two major cotton-producing countries, producing twice as much as the United States [ 13 ]. Although CPC is less cost-effective per unit of protein compared to fishmeal and soybean meal [ 14 ], it has the potential to reduce aquaculture production costs significantly if used correctly.…”

Molecular Genetic Basis of Lab- and Field-Selected Bt Resistance in Pink Bollworm

“…Bt cotton producing Cry1Ac + Cry2Ab was introduced in 2006, and widespread practical resistance to this two-toxin Bt cotton was documented in 2015 [ 45 ]. The rapid evolution of pink bollworm resistance to Bt cotton in India, which has caused substantial socio-economic damage, is associated with the failure to comply with the governmental requirement to plant non-Bt cotton refuges accounting for at least 20% of total cotton hectares [ 43 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 ]. Pink bollworm resistance to Bt cotton remained widespread in India through at least 2018, with no immediate prospects for restoration of susceptibility to Cry1Ac or Cry2Ab [ 43 , 45 , 72 , 73 ].…”