Balancing Agricultural Development Resources: Are GM and Organic Agriculture in Opposition in Africa?

Abstract

Organic agriculture has been promoted vigorously by many civil and donor organizations engaged in agricultural development in Africa. Certified organic products are grown in more than half of African countries, targeted mainly towards export markets. In contrast, adoption of GM agriculture has been met with skepticism in much of Africa, with only three African countries approving GM crops for commercial planting. In this article, we empirically tested several factors that may explain African attitudes toward GM and organic agriculture.