#04. How can we learn from the story of the failed introduction of GM Cotton in Burkina Faso?

A few weeks ago we caught up with Jessie Luna, assistant professor of sociology at Colorado State University, who has been conducting field research on the controversial topic of GM #cotton in Burkina Faso.

Jessi is no anti-GMO activist nor a GMO business associate and that led her to explore the complex system with a neutral perspective - which unveiled some added layers to the simplified narrative that is often fed to the media by the above-mentioned groups.

In her recent article, she explains: "Moving forward, it will be important to learn from the Burkinabè case, not just about what happened, but about how knowledge was produced. An examination of vested interests is one such takeaway. This is particularly important now as multiple African nations consider a wide array of GM crops for commercialization."

"For too long agricultural technologies like GM crops have been evaluated as if they exist in a social and political vacuum. Understanding how GM crops perform for farmers needs close attention to local-level dynamics and context. The role that power plays in that context must be a part of how we understand GM crops moving forward."

Enjoy the read: How the “success story” of genetically modified cotton in Burkina Faso fell apart