The study examines the least-cost option of conserving landraces in-situ by the development of market friction instruments. The empirical examination is comprised of two closely-related studies on eggplant production and consumption sectors of India. An examination of the cost and return...

Do transgenic crops cause agrobiodiversity erosion? We hypothesize that they increase productivity and reduce production risk and may therefore reduce farmer demand for on-farm varietal diversity, especially when only a few transgenic varieties are available. We also hypothesize that varietal...

Transgenic pest-resistant varieties are hypothesized to reduce farmers’ demand for on-farm diversity through an act of substitution, as both serve as production risk reducing instruments. This adverse agro-biodiversity impact of technology adoption might be partially counteracted by an...

This paper examines the ecosystem impacts of transgenic Bt cotton technology resulting from reduced chemical pesticide use. Employing unique panel data from smallholder farmers in central and southern India, negative environmental and health effects of pesticide use are quantified with the...

This paper examines the ecosystem impacts of transgenic Bt cotton technology resulting from reduced chemical pesticide use. Employing unique panel data from smallholder farmers in central and southern India, negative environmental and health effects of pesticide use are quantified with the...

The study analyzes ex-ante the adoption of insect resistant Bt eggplant in India. Farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) is estimated using the contingent valuation method. Given the economic importance of insect pests, the average WTP for proprietary Bt hybrids is more than four times the current...