ABSTRACT
In 1997 South Africa became the first country in Africa to commercially produce a genetically modified (GM) crop, insect-resistant (Bt) cotton. Even though both large-scale commercial farmers and small-scale, resource-poor farmers contribute to the cotton crop, the South African Bt cotton experience has been a subject of international interest because it presents the first case of smallholder GM crop adoption in Africa. Research describing this experience has focused on the Makhathini Flats in northern KwaZulu Natal, one of only two areas in South Africa where small-scale farmers have been producing cotton in a relatively sustainable manner for the past three decades. The majority of the literature has reported impressive adoption rates and positive economic returns, suggesting that South African smallholders benefited from the introduction of Bt cotton. However, some observers have questioned these claims by pointing out that smallholder cotton production in South Africa did not expand (indeed, the total South African cotton area drastically declined) and the programs that provided smallholders credit and extension advice failed after the introduction of the new technology.
