Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 177-183 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Ecological economics |
| Volume | 66 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 3 Oct 2007 |
| Publication status | Published - 15 May 2008 |
Abstract
Economic analysis of chemical pesticide use has shown that the interactions between plants, pests, damage control technology and state of the ecosystem are important variables to be considered. Hence, a bio-economic model was developed for the assessment of Bt variety and pesticide-based control strategies of the cotton-bollworm in China. The model simulates plant growth, the dynamics of pest populations and of natural enemies. The model predictions are used as major inputs for a stochastic micro-level profit model of alternative control strategies. Results show that: (1) productivity effects of Bt varieties and pesticide use depend on the action of natural control agents, and (2) the profitability of damage control measures increases with the severity of ecosystem disruption. The findings highlight the importance of the choice of the counterfactual scenario in the assessment of the impact of agricultural biotechnology. Also, some doubts are raised whether the high benefits of Bt cotton varieties claimed by previous studies based on cross section comparisons are realistic.
Keywords
- Bio-economic model, Biotechnology, Bt cotton, China, Ecosystem
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Science(all)
- General Environmental Science
- Economics, Econometrics and Finance(all)
- Economics and Econometrics
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In: Ecological economics, Vol. 66, No. 1, 15.05.2008, p. 177-183.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The economics of biotechnology under ecosystem disruption
AU - Pemsl, Diemuth E.
AU - Gutierrez, Andrew P.
AU - Waibel, Hermann
PY - 2008/5/15
Y1 - 2008/5/15
N2 - Economic analysis of chemical pesticide use has shown that the interactions between plants, pests, damage control technology and state of the ecosystem are important variables to be considered. Hence, a bio-economic model was developed for the assessment of Bt variety and pesticide-based control strategies of the cotton-bollworm in China. The model simulates plant growth, the dynamics of pest populations and of natural enemies. The model predictions are used as major inputs for a stochastic micro-level profit model of alternative control strategies. Results show that: (1) productivity effects of Bt varieties and pesticide use depend on the action of natural control agents, and (2) the profitability of damage control measures increases with the severity of ecosystem disruption. The findings highlight the importance of the choice of the counterfactual scenario in the assessment of the impact of agricultural biotechnology. Also, some doubts are raised whether the high benefits of Bt cotton varieties claimed by previous studies based on cross section comparisons are realistic.
AB - Economic analysis of chemical pesticide use has shown that the interactions between plants, pests, damage control technology and state of the ecosystem are important variables to be considered. Hence, a bio-economic model was developed for the assessment of Bt variety and pesticide-based control strategies of the cotton-bollworm in China. The model simulates plant growth, the dynamics of pest populations and of natural enemies. The model predictions are used as major inputs for a stochastic micro-level profit model of alternative control strategies. Results show that: (1) productivity effects of Bt varieties and pesticide use depend on the action of natural control agents, and (2) the profitability of damage control measures increases with the severity of ecosystem disruption. The findings highlight the importance of the choice of the counterfactual scenario in the assessment of the impact of agricultural biotechnology. Also, some doubts are raised whether the high benefits of Bt cotton varieties claimed by previous studies based on cross section comparisons are realistic.
KW - Bio-economic model
KW - Biotechnology
KW - Bt cotton
KW - China
KW - Ecosystem
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=43149093980&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2007.08.022
DO - 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2007.08.022
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:43149093980
VL - 66
SP - 177
EP - 183
JO - Ecological economics
JF - Ecological economics
SN - 0921-8009
IS - 1
ER -