Doctoral Dissertation Research: Genetically Engineered Crop Adoption and Liberalization Reforms in Burkina Faso

全球粮食危机使人们更加关注如何改善世界贫困人口的状况，特别是撒哈拉以南非洲地区的贫困人口。布基纳法索在采取两项具体改革方面是非洲的潮流引领者，这两项改革是国营棉花部门的自由化和采用转基因棉花，这两项改革都旨在改善贫困生产者的生计，减轻粮食危机的负面影响。然而，初步研究表明，这两项改革都可能促进有利于相对富人的经济机会，而忽视或损害相对穷人，从而导致贫富差距扩大。这种社会分化可能导致贫穷农村生产者的粮食生产减少，贫穷农村生产者向城市地区的移徙增加，他们必须以不断上涨的价格购买粮食。在这两项改革中，布基纳法索被描述为国际金融机构（自由化）和跨国农业企业（转基因棉花）设计的计划的被动接受者。人们对国家如何改变和实施改革来帮助贫穷的生产者知之甚少。本研究有两个目标：1)确定自由化和转基因棉花改革是否以及如何导致布基纳法索贫富差距的扩大，2)证明国家在促进这一社会分化过程中的作用。本研究采用了一种混合方法，包括档案研究、关键文件审查、定量数据以及对农村生产者、棉花部门主要行为者和主要举报人的访谈。这项研究将评估两项重要的改革，即农业部门的自由化和引进基因工程生物是否是解决粮食危机的有用措施。这项研究的产出将是是否继续进行这些改革和/或如何修改这些改革，以更好地实现减轻粮食危机对贫穷生产者影响的目标。这项研究还将展示国家如何与这些改革互动，潜在地加剧或稀释它们的影响。鉴于目前的财政危机以及随后对贫穷国家的发展援助减少，这些问题令人相当关切。作为一项博士论文改进资助，该奖项授权有前途的学生建立一个有前途的研究事业，帮助社会。

The global food crisis has sharpened attention on how to improve conditions for the world's poor, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Burkina Faso is an African trend-setter in adopting two specific reforms, the liberalization of the state-run cotton sector and the adoption of genetically engineered (GE) cotton, both of which are designed to improve the livelihoods of poor producers and blunt the negative impacts of the food crisis. Preliminary research suggests, however, that both of these reforms may contribute to a widening gap between rich and poor by promoting economic opportunities that benefit the relatively rich to the neglect or detriment of the relatively poor. Such social differentiation could lead to decreased food production by poor rural producers and increased migration of poor rural producers to urban areas where they must purchase food at rising costs. In the case of both reforms, the Burkinabé state is depicted as a passive recipient of plans designed by international financial institutions (liberalization) and multinational agro-business companies (GE cotton). Little is known about how the state changes and implements reforms to help poor producers. This research has two goals: 1) to determine whether and how liberalization and GE cotton reforms contribute to a widening gap between rich and poor in Burkina Faso, and 2) to demonstrate the role of the state in contributing to this process of social differentiation. This research employs a mixed-method approach including archival research, critical document review, quantitative data, and interviews of rural producers and of key cotton sector actors and key informants. This research will evaluate whether two important reforms, namely the liberalization of the agricultural sector and the introduction of genetically engineered organisms are useful measures to address the food crisis. An output of this research with be whether to continue with such reforms and/or how to modify them to better achieve their goal of blunting the impacts of the food crisis for poor producers. This research will also demonstrate how the state interacts with these reforms, potentially exacerbating or diluting their impacts. These questions are of considerable concern given the current financial crisis, and a subsequent decrease in development assistance for poor countries. As a doctoral dissertation improvement grant this award empowers a promising student to establish a promising research career that aids society.