ABSTRACT
The acceptability of herbicide-resistant crops (HRCs) will be determined in the economic and political arenas. It is hard to envision that the use of HRCs would have a detrimental impact by itself on the distribution of income. Weeds are extensively controlled with chemical herbicides, and modifying which chemicals is used on which crops should not significantly alter farm incomes. Nonetheless, if farmers adopt herbicide-resistant technology, they do so because it provides some benefit to them. Doyle discussed the possible impacts on agriculture from the structural changes in the seed and chemical industries. He concluded that the ongoing developments were not conducive for a type of agriculture that he and others envisioned as ideal. The consuming public wants quality and safe food at a reasonable price. Some are not convinced that chemical weed control is necessary to achieve this end. The development of herbicide resistance is seen as a continuation and reinforcement of chemical use in agriculture.
