AgBioForum, vol. 09, no. 2 (2006)
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Item Does Application Matter? An Examination of Public Perception of Agricultural Biotechnology Applications(AgBioForum, 2006) Knight, Andrew J.Whereas most research on public perceptions of genetically modified products have focused on first-generation biotechnologies and genetically modified foods, this paper examines public support for a variety of animal and plant agricultural biotechnology applications and explores whether the determinants of support for each application vary by knowledge, trust, benefits, and sociodemographic variables. The data for this study were gathered from 432 adults in a regional Southwestern telephone survey conducted from March 28 through May 4, 2004. The results revealed that the vehicle used (animal or plant) appears to outweigh both the function and type of application, although nonfood applications tended to receive higher support levels than genetically modified foods. Plant applications received higher support than animal applications. Additionally, the determinants for each biotechnology application were different, and their explanatory power varied by application. Only perceived benefits was significantly related to each biotechnology application.Item Potential Regional Trade Implications of Adopting Bt Cowpea in West and Central Africa(AgBioForum, 2006) Langyintuo, Augustine S.; Lowenberg-DeBoer, JamesThis paper used a spatial and temporal price equilibrium model to assess the potential impacts of farmers in West and Central Africa adopting Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp). The results showed that regional cowpea prices would decrease, leading to increased regional demand and increased supply only in adopting countries. Total cowpea traded and regional welfare would increase, but producers in nonadopting countries would lose. The results thus emphasize regional adoption of any Bt cowpea and suggest that policy makers devise ways of ensuring equitable distribution of benefits.Item Public Perceptions of Tobacco Biopharming(AgBioForum, 2006) Reaves, Dixie W.; Norton, George W.; Nevitt, Jonathan; Mills, Bradford F.A telephone survey of United States consumers' views on tobacco biopharming indicates widespread support for developing the technology when it generates a socially beneficial application. Perceptions of risks associated with the technology, however, are split: Most respondents either hold concerns in every risk area presented or in none of them. Willingness to purchase a bio-tobacco-based medicine is bimodal as well. These polarized perceptions point to the challenges faced by policy makers who attempt to implement regulatory oversight of biopharming by balancing the broad-based concerns of the public against the potentially significant benefits of the technology.Item Who Adopts What Kind of Technologies? The Case of Bt Eggplant in India(AgBioForum, 2006) Kolady, Deepthi Elizabeth; Lesser, WilliamThe public-private partnership involved in the development of Bth eggplant in India is unique in the context of developing countries, where poor farmers' access to technology is limited. The key questions arising in this context are: Who adopts what kind of technology? What are the factors influencing their decisions? We answer these questions using data from a farm-level survey conducted in Maharashtra, India. Our results indicate that factors influencing hybrid adoption exert similar effects on the expected adoption of Bt hybrid eggplant and opposite effects on the decision to adopt Bt open-pollinated varieties (OPV). Even though some farmers who decided to grow Bt hybrid eggplant might switch to Bt OPVs when available, most of the early adopters of Bt hybrid would continue to grow Bt hybrid eggplant. Thus, our study gives initial empirical evidence on the economic feasibility of the public-private partnership in the research and development of Bt eggplant in India.Item Impact of Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin on Dairy Farm Cost of Production : Evidence from Multiyear Data(AgBioForum, 2006) Tauer, Loren W., 1951-New York dairy farm data over the years 1994-2002 were used to estimate the impact of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) use on the cost of producing a hundredweight of milk. Both fixed and random effects models were estimated. Self-selection bias in the use of rbST was not found to exist. Results imply that the use of rbST on these dairy farms reduces the net cost of producing a hundredweight of milk somewhere between $0.23 and $0.52. For 20,000 pound average per-cow production, this would be a net cost reduction of $46-104 per cow.