Why Government Intervention in Agriculture?
Advantages: 1. Tropical agriculture is less productive than agriculture in the temperate regions of the world because of poor soil, extremes of moisture and heat, drought, and a host of pests and parasites that attack crops. For example, over 30% of crop yield is lost to pathogens and pests in parts of Africa. 2. Pesticide use would be reduced through the use of herbicide resistant gm varieties. This will reduce runoff of pesticides into surface streams and groundwater. 3. The planting of high yielding gm plant varieties would halt expansion in agricultural land to increase crop yield. This could reduce deforestation and land degradation in the tropics. 4. Scientist in developing countries will benefit from research already done in developed countries. Disadvantages: 1. If gm crops continue to be developed by private firms, farmers in developing countries would find seeds too expensive to purchase. 2. Developing countries would come to depend upon private foreign companies whose operat
