Bt cotton and employment effects for female agricultural laborers in Pakistan

The literature about economic and social impacts of Bt cotton adoption on farm households in developing countries is growing. Yet, there is still uncertainty about wider implications of this technology for rural development, including effects for landless rural laborers. Bt-related yield advantages...

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Main Authors: Kouser, Shahzad, Abedullah, A., Qaim, M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/73672
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author Kouser, Shahzad
Abedullah, A.
Qaim, M.
author_browse Abedullah, A.
Kouser, Shahzad
Qaim, M.
author_facet Kouser, Shahzad
Abedullah, A.
Qaim, M.
author_sort Kouser, Shahzad
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The literature about economic and social impacts of Bt cotton adoption on farm households in developing countries is growing. Yet, there is still uncertainty about wider implications of this technology for rural development, including effects for landless rural laborers. Bt-related yield advantages may lead to intensified production and higher demand for labor. Building on farm survey data collected in Pakistan and using double-hurdle regression models, we analyze employment effects of Bt cotton adoption. Model estimates show that Bt adoption has increased the demand for hired labor by 55 percent. Manual harvesting, which is common in Pakistan, is a labor-intensive activity primarily carried out by female laborers. Accordingly, gender disaggregation shows that the employment-generating effects are particularly strong for women, who often belong to the most disadvantaged groups of rural societies. These results suggest that Bt technology can contribute to additional employment income for the poor and more equitable rural development.
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spelling CGSpace736722025-01-27T15:00:52Z Bt cotton and employment effects for female agricultural laborers in Pakistan Kouser, Shahzad Abedullah, A. Qaim, M. gender cotton The literature about economic and social impacts of Bt cotton adoption on farm households in developing countries is growing. Yet, there is still uncertainty about wider implications of this technology for rural development, including effects for landless rural laborers. Bt-related yield advantages may lead to intensified production and higher demand for labor. Building on farm survey data collected in Pakistan and using double-hurdle regression models, we analyze employment effects of Bt cotton adoption. Model estimates show that Bt adoption has increased the demand for hired labor by 55 percent. Manual harvesting, which is common in Pakistan, is a labor-intensive activity primarily carried out by female laborers. Accordingly, gender disaggregation shows that the employment-generating effects are particularly strong for women, who often belong to the most disadvantaged groups of rural societies. These results suggest that Bt technology can contribute to additional employment income for the poor and more equitable rural development. 2017-01 2016-05-22T12:12:43Z 2016-05-22T12:12:43Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/73672 en Limited Access Elsevier Kouser, S., Abedullah and Qaim, M. 2017. Bt cotton and employment effects for female agricultural laborers in Pakistan. New Biotechnology 34:40–46.
spellingShingle gender
cotton
Kouser, Shahzad
Abedullah, A.
Qaim, M.
Bt cotton and employment effects for female agricultural laborers in Pakistan
title Bt cotton and employment effects for female agricultural laborers in Pakistan
title_full Bt cotton and employment effects for female agricultural laborers in Pakistan
title_fullStr Bt cotton and employment effects for female agricultural laborers in Pakistan
title_full_unstemmed Bt cotton and employment effects for female agricultural laborers in Pakistan
title_short Bt cotton and employment effects for female agricultural laborers in Pakistan
title_sort bt cotton and employment effects for female agricultural laborers in pakistan
topic gender
cotton
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/73672
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AT abedullaha btcottonandemploymenteffectsforfemaleagriculturallaborersinpakistan
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