Social Science Studies on European and African Agriculture Compared: Bringing Together Different Strands of Academic Debate on GM Crops

Abstract

This study explored the social science-orientated literature on genetically modified (GM) crops in Europe and compared it with the corresponding literature on GM crops in African contexts, in order to determine the nature and extent of north-south cross-fertilisation in the literature. A total of 1625 papers on GM crops and agriculture falling within the 'social science and humanities' subject area in the Scopus abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature were analysed for major trends relating to geographical areas. More detailed analysis was performed on papers discussing African (56 papers) and European (127 papers) contexts. The analysis revealed that studies on policy and politics were common in both strands of the literature, frequently focusing on effects of the relatively restrictive European Union regulations on GM crops. There were also clear differences, however. For example, papers focusing on Africa frequently examined farm-level impacts and production, while this theme was almost non-existent in the Europe literature. It focused instead on policy impacts on trade and consumer attitudes to GM products. The lack of farm-level studies and of empirical studies in general in the European literature indicates a need for empirical research on GM crops in European farming. Social science research on GM crop production in Europe could draw lessons from the African literature.

Invited review: Breeding and ethical perspectives on genetically modified and genome edited cattle

“…This may be due partly to the relatively higher complexity in large-scale application of genetic modifications of food-producing animals, with several levels of ethical dimensions to be considered. Different viewpoints and value clashes among parts of the society have led to long-lasting discussions about GM (Fischer and Eriksson, 2016), with different aspects in focus depending on region (Frewer et al, 2013b). The debate on GM has been more intensive than for new applications of, for example, ART.…”

The Swedish Media Debate on GMO Between 1994 and 2018: What Attention was Given to Farmers’ Perspectives?

“…This spilled over into the Swedish press, as indicated by the many times it was mentioned (Figure 3). The topic of coexistence should be seen as fairly characteristic of the EU debate on GMO, with comparatively little attention being paid to it in contexts outside the EU (Fischer & Eriksson, 2016).…”

“…The GM crops that have dominated the global market since the mid-1990s are herbicide tolerant and insect-resistant (Bt) crops. Herbicide tolerance makes weeding easier and insect resistance reduces the need for spraying pesticides (as long as pests do not develop resistance), that is, both modifications simplify farm practice and potentially reduce the need for labor (Fischer & Eriksson, 2016). In the EU, where only one insect-resistant maize is accepted for planting and is grown only to a limited extent, farmers mainly get in contact with GMO through fodder imports of GM soy.…”

“…In fact, European consumers rarely get in contact with GMO in food products at all. Despite this, European farmers have been given a limited voice and generally little attention in the GMO debate (Fischer & Eriksson, 2016;Fischer & Hess, 2021;Gaskell et al, 2000;Legge & Durant, 2010). Farmers have generally only been present in the debate in the subject position of the "poor farmer in the Global South" (Herrick, 2008;Whitty et al, 2013).…”