Int'l Food Policy Res Inst IFPRI

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</div><div>Int'</div><div><a href="http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/dp/IFPRIDP00808.pdf" data-link-name="in body link" class="u-underline" style="font-weight: bold; outline: none; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; touch-action: manipulation; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration-line: none !important;">Food Policy Research Institute</a> (IFPRI)</div><div>
</div><div>Headquarters 1201 Eye St, NW Washington, DC 20005-3915 USAK Street Office (Former Headquarters through April 2018) 2033 K Street, NW Washington, DC 20006-1002Phone +1 202-862-5600punked gurad?https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/nov/05/gmcrops-india...<p guardian="Guardian" text="Text" egyptian="Egyptian" web="Web" georgia="Georgia" serif="serif" font-variant-ligatures="font-variant-ligatures" common-ligatures="common-ligatures" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" style="margin: 0px 0px 1rem; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Suicides among Indian farmers have not increased as a result of the introduction of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gm" data-link-name="auto-linked-tag" data-component="auto-linked-tag" class="u-underline" style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 86, 137); outline: none; background: transparent; touch-action: manipulation; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration-line: none !important;">GM</a> crops, according to a large scientific study.<p guardian="Guardian" text="Text" egyptian="Egyptian" web="Web" georgia="Georgia" serif="serif" font-variant-ligatures="font-variant-ligatures" common-ligatures="common-ligatures" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" style="margin: 0px 0px 1rem; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">The finding runs counter to arguments often cited by NGOs in the country such as Gene Campaign that oppose GM crops. They say that the supposed hike in suicides is a tragic social consequence of farmers being forced into debt as a result of growing the crops.<p guardian="Guardian" text="Text" egyptian="Egyptian" web="Web" georgia="Georgia" serif="serif" font-variant-ligatures="font-variant-ligatures" common-ligatures="common-ligatures" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" style="margin: 0px 0px 1rem; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Farmer suicides were recently cited by Prince Charles in a lecture via video link to the New Delhi based NGO Navdanya as one of the ills of GM technology. He spoke of "the truly appalling and tragic rate of small farmer suicides in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/india" data-link-name="auto-linked-tag" data-component="auto-linked-tag" class="u-underline" style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 86, 137); outline: none; background: transparent; touch-action: manipulation; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration-line: none !important;">India</a>, stemming in part from the failure of many GM crop varieties."<p guardian="Guardian" text="Text" egyptian="Egyptian" web="Web" georgia="Georgia" serif="serif" font-variant-ligatures="font-variant-ligatures" common-ligatures="common-ligatures" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" style="margin: 0px 0px 1rem; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">But the new analysis suggests that if anything, suicides among farmers have been decreasing since the introduction of GM cotton by Monsanto in 2002. "It is not only inaccurate, but simply wrong to blame the use of Bt cotton as the primary cause of farmer suicides in India," said the <a href="http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/dp/IFPRIDP00808.pdf" data-link-name="in body link" class="u-underline" style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 86, 137); outline: none; background: transparent; touch-action: manipulation; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration-line: none !important;">report from the International Food Policy Research Institute</a> (IFPRI) in Washington DC. "Despite the recent media hype around farmer suicides," it added, "fuelled by civil society organisations and reaching the highest political spheres in India and elsewhere, there is no evidence in available data of a 'resurgence' of farmer suicide in India in the last five years."<p guardian="Guardian" text="Text" egyptian="Egyptian" web="Web" georgia="Georgia" serif="serif" font-variant-ligatures="font-variant-ligatures" common-ligatures="common-ligatures" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" style="margin: 0px 0px 1rem; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">It also found that the adoption of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_thuringiensis#Usage" data-link-name="in body link" class="u-underline" style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 86, 137); outline: none; background: transparent; touch-action: manipulation; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration-line: none !important;">pest-resistant Bt cotton varieties</a> had led to massive increases in yield and a 40% decrease in pesticide use.<p guardian="Guardian" text="Text" egyptian="Egyptian" web="Web" georgia="Georgia" serif="serif" font-variant-ligatures="font-variant-ligatures" common-ligatures="common-ligatures" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" style="margin: 0px 0px 1rem; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">"What we argue is that it's far more complex than simply adopting a technology," lead author Guillaume Gruère told New Scientist magazine. The report identifies a lack of financial support for farmers as a key problem leading many to borrow money from loan sharks at crippling interest rates. The IFPRI is a thinktank funded by governments, private foundations and international and regional organisations....===</div>