Bt Adoption Research Articles

Exploring the Role of Blockchain Technology in Improving Sustainable Supply Chain Performance: A System-Analysis-Based Approach

Due to the complexity of SSC practices, BT can be adopted as an innovative tool for addressing socioenvironmental issues. However, BT adoption has not been receiving growing attention because of organizational challenges (e.g., financial constraints). This study develops a system-analysis-based approach to investigate the impact of BT adoption on the improvement of SSC performance. This approach is proposed based on the FCM to model CRs between SSC-performance-related targets and enablers of BT adoption. These enablers include inherent features of BT identified in the context of sustainability (e.g., social responsibility and environmental sustainability). After developing an FCM model for the BT adoption problem, the impact of enablers on target concepts is investigated by implementing a hybrid FCM learning algorithm according to the extracted CRs. Based on the outputs of the FCM learning algorithm, this study also identifies the most effective enablers for improving SSC performance using the combined compromise solution method. The proposed system-analysis-based approach demonstrates that BT can significantly affect various dimensions of SSC networks’ performance. The results imply that the appropriate BT adoption supports SSC performance by improving environmental sustainability, creating smart contracts, and increasing traceability.

Analysis of the challenges for blockchain technology adoption in the Indian health-care sector

PurposeThis paper aims to discover and analyze the challenges hampering blockchain technology’s (BT’s) implementation in the Indian health-care sector. A total of 18 challenges have been prioritized and modeled based on an extensive literature search and professional views.Design/methodology/approachAn integrated multi-criteria decision-making approach has been used in two phases. Best worst method (BWM) is used in the first phase to prioritize the challenges with sensitivity analysis to validate the findings and eliminate a few challenges. In the second phase, interpretive structural modeling is applied to the remaining 15 challenges to obtain relative relationships among them with cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification analysis for their categorization.FindingsThe study’s results reveal that limited knowledge and expertise, cost and risk involved, technical issues, lack of clear regulations, resistance to change and lack of top management support are the top-ranked or high-intensity challenges according to the BWM. Interpretive structural modelling findings suggest that the lack of government initiatives has been driving other challenges with the highest driving power.Research limitations/implicationsThis work has been conducted in the Indian context, so careful generalization of the results is needed.Practical implicationsThis work will give health-care stakeholders a better perspective regarding blockchain’s adoption. It will help health-care stakeholders, service providers, researchers and policymakers get a glimpse of the strategies for eradicating mentioned challenges. The analysis will help reduce the challenges’ impact on blockchain’s adoption in the Indian health-care sector.Originality/valueThe adoption of BT is a novel concept, especially in developing countries such as India. This is one of the few works addressing the challenges to BT adoption in the Indian health-care sector.

Blockchain technology for viable circular digital supplychains: an integrated approach for evaluating the implementation barriers

PurposeBlockchain technology (BT) is creating a new standard for all business operations. It can assist businesses in handling the complexity of circular digital supply chain (DCM) management. Despite this optimistic view, several barriers hinder its implementation. In this regard, this study contributes to Industry 4.0, circular economy (CE), the viability with a critical emphasis on its potential ramifications and influence on the future agenda while using BT technology in the supply chain (SC). In addition, the research reduces the knowledge gap by investigating and ranking the key barriers to the deployment of BT in viable circular digital supply chains (VCDSCs) and studies their interdependencies and causal relationships. The purpose of this paper is to address these issues.Design/methodology/approachThe barriers to BT adoption in the VCDSC are identified through a thorough literature review and considering viability performance. These barriers are then classified using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method. Decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) is then employed to examine the cause/effect, correlation, and connection among the 14 barriers selected barriers from the AHP classification to estimate each barrier's overall degree of impact over the others.FindingsThis paper identifies and analyzes the BT adoption barriers in the VCDSC as well as examines how the key barriers interact. As a result, according to the AHP/DEMATEL method, the most prominent influencing barriers to the BT implementation in the VCDSC are “Data transparency,” “Market competition,” “Missing infrastructure,” “Lack of standardization,” “Complex protocol,” “Lack of industry involvement,” “Financial constraints,” “Missing infrastructure,” “Data transparency” and “Interoperability.” The outcomes offer a potential path for identifying important barriers as well as insight into the implementation of BT in the SC while integrating different capabilities such as viability, sustainability and CE principles.Practical implicationsManagers and researchers will benefit from this research by gaining an understanding of the challenges that must be prioritized and examined for BT to be implemented successfully in the VCDSC.Originality/valueThe use and implementation of blockchain-enabled VCDSC continue to face challenges despite an increase in relevant practice and research. Despite the benefits of BT, managers struggle to apply such technology in the context of their company. In this respect, this paper uses an integrated AHP–DEMATEL for categorizing the BT barriers as well as the interrelationship between them. In this respect, this paper presents the BT barriers studied are those related to the use of BT in the SC while integrating different paradigms such as viability, digitalization and CE. While many studies look at the barriers to BT adoption; none of them has ever included the viable capability, which means the ability to “react agilely to positive changes, be resilient to absorb negative events and re-cover after disruptions and survive at long-term periods.” The study concludes with insightful comments based on the findings and suggestions for eradicating those obstacles and their associated effects.

Association between landscape composition and the abundance of predator and herbivore arthropods in Bt and non-Bt soybean crops

Cropland expansion has been occurring over the last century, especially in South America, displacing non-crop areas mainly with soybean. Changes at a landscape level were followed by changes at a local scale, such as the adoption of insect-resistant transgenic crops. The homogenization of agroecosystem composition and agronomic practices have a great impact on arthropod predators and herbivore insects, which has not been quantified to a great extent in South America. We evaluate the effects of cover composition (1 km radii) as a landscape variable, and Bt adoption as a local variable on the quantity of the main predators and pests in soybean fields in Uruguay. Over a two-year period, we sampled 60 soybean fields with sweep net and beating sheet. We found that Bt and non-Bt soybean fields did not differ in the number of predators and stink bugs, while Bt fields were associated with less caterpillars’ abundance. The proportion area of soybean negatively affected the quantity of some predators in this crop. In contrast, the landscape cover with natural grassland, commercial forest and maize positively affected some of these beneficial organisms. The number of stink bugs in soybean was highly affected by the surrounding cover composition. Arthropod responses depend on soybean’s phenological period. We demonstrate the effects of the agriculturalization process on soybean predators and pests, suggesting that Bt adoption does not affect predators and each vegetation cover impacts them differentially. Different non-crop landscape cover and the abundance of predators in the field margin are positively associated with the abundance of predators in soybean fields.

Landscape-level variation in Bt crops predict Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) resistance in cotton agroecosystems.

Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) damage to Bt cotton and maize has increased as a result of widespread Bt resistance across the USA Cotton Belt. Our objective was to link Bt crop production patterns to cotton damage through a series of spatial and temporal surveys of commercial fields to understand how Bt crop production relates to greater than expected H.zea damage to Bt cotton. To do this, we assembled longitudinal cotton damage data that spanned the Bt adoption period, collected cotton damage data since Bt resistance has been detected, and estimated local population susceptibility using replicated on-farm studies that included all Bt pyramids marketed in cotton. Significant year effects of H.zea damage frequency in commercial cotton were observed throughout the Bt adoption period, with a recent damage increase after 2012. Landscape-level Bt crop production intensity over time was positively associated with the risk of H.zea damage in two- and three-toxin pyramided Bt cotton. Helicoverpa zea damage also varied across Bt toxin types in spatially replicated on-farm studies. Landscape-level predictors of H.zea damage in Bt cotton can be used to identify heightened Bt resistance risk areas and serves as a model to understand factors that drive pest resistance evolution to Bt toxins in the southeastern United States. These results provide a framework for more effective insect resistance management strategies to be used in combination with conventional pest management practices that improve Bt trait durability while minimizing the environmental footprint of row crop agriculture. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry. This article has been contributed to by US Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.

Long-term impacts of Bt cotton in India.

Most scholarship on the closely-watched case of genetically modified Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton in India has focused on short-term impacts and has also ignored other major changes in India's cotton agriculture. This Perspective combines several data sources over a 20-year span to provide long-term comparisons of Bt adoption with yields and other inputs at both countrywide and state-specific scales. Bt cotton adoption is shown to be a poor indicator of yield trends but a strong indicator of initial reductions in pesticide use. Yield increases correspond to changes in fertilizer and other inputs. Bt cotton has continued to control one major cotton pest, but with Bt resistance in another pest and surging populations of non-target pests, farmers now spend more on pesticides today than before the introduction of Bt. Indications are that the situation will continue to deteriorate.

Transgenic cotton and farmers' health in Pakistan.

Despite substantial research on the economic effects of transgenic insect-resistant Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton, there is still limited work on this technology’s impacts on human health. Due to the inbuilt insect resistance, Bt cotton requires fewer pesticide sprays than conventional cotton, which is not only advantageous from economic and environmental perspectives, but may also result in health benefits for farmers. Using socioeconomic and biophysical data from Pakistan, we provide the first evidence of a direct association between Bt gene expression in the plant and health benefits. A key feature of this study is that Bt cotton cultivation in Pakistan occurs in a poorly regulated market: farmers are often mistaken in their beliefs about whether they have planted Bt cotton or conventional cotton, which may affect their pesticide-use strategies and thus their pesticide exposure. We employ a cost-of-illness approach and variations in the measurement of Bt adoption to estimate the relationship between Bt cotton and farmers’ health. Bt adoption based on farmers’ beliefs does not reduce the pesticide-induced cost of illness. However, adoption based on measuring Bt gene expression is associated with significant health cost savings. Extrapolating the estimates for true Bt seeds to Pakistan’s entire Bt cotton area results in annual health cost savings of around US$ 7 million. These findings have important implications for the regulation of seed markets in Pakistan and beyond: improved regulations that ensure claimed crop traits are really expressed can increase the benefits for farmers and society at large.

Meta-effect of insect resistant maize on fumonisin B1 in grain estimated by variance-weighted and replication-weighted analyses

Fumonisins are a class of mycotoxins occurring in foods and feeds at concentrations that may be of concern to human and animal health. Meta-analysis was used to predict the probability of fumonisin B1 (FB1) exposure reduction that may be achieved in the maize grain supply regionally over time through use of insect resistant (Bt) varieties and how analytical outcomes may be influenced by data richness. All analyses showed the positive effect of Bt maize to reduce FB1 concentrations in grain relative to comparable non-Bt maize, but the effect size was smaller for variance-weighted data than for the less statistically robust data sets. Variance weighted data indicated a 14 to 18% decrease in FB1 concentrations in Bt maize relative to a comparable non-genetically engineered variety, whereas a replication weighted approach indicated a 67% decrease. Understanding the effects of data selection criteria on outcomes of meta-analyses are useful in policy considerations related to the benefits of wide-area adoption of fumonisin mitigation practices, such as for economic analysis of the benefit of widespread Bt adoption, prediction of both short and long-term exposures to FB1 in feed rations and understanding variation of FB1 presence in maize sourced for food products.

Regional pest suppression associated with widespread Bt maize adoption benefits vegetable growers

Transgenic crops containing the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) genes reduce pests and insecticide usage, promote biocontrol services, and economically benefit growers. Area-wide Bt adoption suppresses pests regionally, with declines expanding beyond the planted Bt crops into other non-Bt crop fields. However, the offsite benefits to growers of other crops from such regional suppression remain uncertain. With data spanning 1976-2016, we demonstrate that vegetable growers benefit via decreased crop damage and insecticide applications in relation to pest suppression in the Mid-Atlantic United States. We provide evidence for the regional suppression of Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner), European corn borer, and Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), corn earworm, populations in association with widespread Bt maize adoption (1996-2016) and decreased economic levels for injury in vegetable crops [peppers (Capsicum annuum L.), green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), and sweet corn (Zea mays L., convar. saccharata)] compared with the pre-Bt period (1976-1995). Moth populations of both species significantly declined in association with widespread Bt maize (field corn) adoption, even as increased temperatures buffered the population reduction. We show marked decreases in the number of recommended insecticidal applications, insecticides applied, and O. nubilalis damage in vegetable crops in association with widespread Bt maize adoption. These offsite benefits to vegetable growers in the agricultural landscape have not been previously documented, and the positive impacts identified here expand on the reported ecological effects of Bt adoption. Our results also underscore the need to account for offsite economic benefits of pest suppression, in addition to the direct economic benefits of Bt crops.

Climate change, transgenic corn adoption and field-evolved resistance in corn earworm.

Increased temperature anomaly during the twenty-first century coincides with the proliferation of transgenic crops containing the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) (Bt) to express insecticidal Cry proteins. Increasing temperatures profoundly affect insect life histories and agricultural pest management. However, the implications of climate change on Bt crop–pest interactions and insect resistance to Bt crops remains unexamined. We analysed the relationship of temperature anomaly and Bt adoption with field-evolved resistance to Cry1Ab Bt sweet corn in a major pest, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie). Increased Bt adoption during 1996–2016 suppressed H. zea populations, but increased temperature anomaly buffers population reduction. Temperature anomaly and its interaction with elevated selection pressure from high Bt acreage probably accelerated the Bt-resistance development. Helicoverpa zea damage to corn ears, kernel area consumed, mean instars and proportion of late instars in Bt varieties increased with Bt adoption and temperature anomaly, through additive or interactive effects. Risk of Bt-resistant H. zea spreading is high given extensive Bt adoption, and the expected increase in overwintering and migration. Our study highlights the challenges posed by climate change for Bt biotechnology-based agricultural pest management, and the need to incorporate evolutionary processes affected by climate change into Bt-resistance management programmes.

Ecosystem impacts of pesticide reductions through Bt cotton adoption

This article examines the ecosystem impacts of transgenic Bt cotton technology resulting from reduced chemical pesticide use. Employing unique panel data from smallholder farmers in India, negative environmental and health effects of pesticide use are quantified with the environmental impact quotient (EIQ), with and without Bt technology. An environmentally sensitive dynamic production function is estimated, treating the environmental risk of pesticide toxicity as an undesirable output in the production process. Negative externalities are significantly lower in Bt than in conventional cotton. The reduction in EIQ through Bt technology adoption has increased from 39 per cent during 2002–2004 to 68 per cent during 2006–2008. Bt adoption has also contributed to higher environmental efficiency. Environmental efficiency is influenced by the quality of Bt technology: high-quality Bt seeds are associated with higher environmental efficiency than lower-quality seeds.

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 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%. 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 to more equitable rural development.

The causes and unintended consequences of a paradigm shift in corn production practices

Abstract Independent but simultaneously occurring changes in U.S. agricultural and energy policies in conjunction with advances in biotechnology converged to create an economic and regulatory environment that incentivized corn acreage expansion. Advancements in Bt seed and ethanol production technologies contributed to scale efficiency gains in corn and biofuel production. These advancements were accompanied by changes in market forces that altered the balance between corn and other agricultural crop production. The causal linkages among Bt adoption, ethanol production, and corn production are explored along with a discussion of how this shift toward corn production generated unexpected economic and environmental consequences. Alternative policy solutions to mitigate the negative consequences and enhance the resiliency of U.S. agriculture are discussed.

Bt Cotton, Pesticide Use and Environmental Efficiency in Pakistan

AbstractThere is a broad literature on the impact of Bt cotton adoption in different countries, but few studies have explicitly looked at environmental and health effects from an economic perspective. We analyse the impact of Bt cotton on environmental efficiency in Pakistan, using farm survey data and a doubly heteroskedastic stochastic production function framework. Negative environmental and health effects of chemical pesticide use are quantified with the environmental impact quotient. Bt‐adopting farms have higher cotton yields, while using lower pesticide quantities and causing less environmental damage. Bt farms are both technically and environmentally more efficient than non‐Bt farms. Bt adoption increases environmental efficiency by 37%. Achieving the same reduction in negative environmental and health impact without Bt would cost conventional cotton farmersUS$ 54 per acre in terms of foregone yields and revenues (7% of total revenues). Extrapolating this shadow price of the technology's health and environmental benefits to the total Bt cotton area in Pakistan results in an aggregate value ofUS$ 370 million. These benefits are in addition to the profit gains for Bt‐adopting farmers. Our results suggest that Bt technology can contribute to sustainable agricultural development.

Current European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis , injury levels in the northeastern United States and the value of Bt field corn

Recent evidence indicates that some populations of European corn borer (ECB), Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner), have declined to historic lows owing to widespread adoption of Bt corn hybrids. To understand current ECB populations in Pennsylvania field corn, the authors assessed larval damage in Bt and non-Bt corn hybrids at 29 sites over 3 years. The influence of Bt adoption rates, land cover types and moth activity on levels of ECB damage was also considered. Bt hybrids reduced ECB damage when compared with non-Bt, but these differences inconsistently translated to higher yields and, because of higher seed costs, rarely improved profits. No relationships were detected between land use or Bt adoption and ECB damage rates, but positive relationships were found between plant damage and captures of Z-race ECB moths in pheromone traps in the PestWatch network. ECB damage levels were generally low and appear to be declining across Pennsylvania. In many locations, farmers may gain greater profits by planting competitive non-Bt hybrids; however, Bt hybrids remain valuable control options, particularly in the parts of Pennsylvania where ECB populations persist. Moth captures from PestWatch appear to provide insight into where Bt hybrids are most valuable.

BT's adoption of customer centric design

Between 2005 and 2010 BT underwent a major transformation from a company with a special section devoted to ‘older and disabled consumers’ to a company with an inclusive design strategy. The mainstreaming of these issues responded to a demand for better, more user-friendly communications products and growing awareness of the importance of previously marginalised consumer groups. It also took place alongside the development and publication of BS7000-6, a guide to inclusive design management. Based on several product design case studies, this paper reflects on how and why this transformation was seen as necessary for future success, and how the transformation was achieved. The evolution of BT's approach has continued since, but this paper looks back in time, and documents the transformation up to 2010 and reflects the state of the company in 2010 rather than at the time of publication.

BT employees get connected with Dare2Share

PurposeThis paper aims to demonstrate how Dare2Share, an internal YouTube‐style of podcasting platform where employees can create and upload short learning nuggets for their colleagues in either video or audio format, is helping to transform learning at BT.Design/methodology/approachIt explains the reasons for BT's adoption of Dare2Share, the form it takes and the advantages it brings.FindingsIt describes how Dare2Share enables BT employees to learn from each other by rapidly capturing and spreading learning throughout the organization in the form of podcasts, discussion threads, blogs, RSS (really simple syndication) feeds, documents, courses and portals. Any BT employee can view content on or offline and can comment on and rate each piece as well as report inaccurate content. Employees can also comment on the content and contact the author directly.Practical implicationsThe paper reveals that learning is immediate, relevant and presented in the context of the work. Learning segments are short and available on various devices. High‐quality content is quickly identified and used, experts are easily discovered and contacted, and the learning experience is personalized and social.Social implicationsIt highlights the value of social learning in a large organization that is placing increasing emphasis on good customer service.Originality/valueThis paper provides the inside story of the adoption of a new learning system at a company that has always been ahead of the curve in the area of learning technologies.

Revisiting the Impact of Bt Corn Adoption by U.S. Farmers

This study examines the impact of adopting Bt corn on farm profits, yields, and insecticide use. The study employs an econometric model that corrects for self-selection and simultaneity. The model is estimated using nationwide farm-level survey data for 2005. Regression analysis confirms that Bt adoption is associated with increased variable profits, yields, and seed demand. However, the results of this analysis suggest that Bt adoption is not significantly related to insecticide use. This result may be due to the fact that insect infestation levels were lower in 2005 than they were in previous years.

Impact of Bt cotton on farmer livelihoods in South Africa

The economic benefits of Genetically Modified (GM) crops in developing countries have been well documented, but little research has been undertaken to date on the impacts of GM adoption on household livelihoods. The research reported here aimed to assess the livelihood impacts of the adoption of Bt cotton in South Africa., and involved 100 interviews of resource-poor farmers growing Bt cotton in Makhathini Flats, South Africa. Some 88% of respondents reported a higher income from Bt compared to non-Bt varieties previously grown by them, and this higher income was used primarily for greater education of their children (76%), more investment in growing cotton (46%), repaying debt (28%), investment in other crops (20%) and spending money on themselves. Some 89% had increased their asset base due to Bt cotton, primarily by increasing their cultivable land. These benefits of Bt adoption appeared widespread regardless of gender or farm size.

Reductions in insecticide use from adoption of Bt cotton in South Africa: impacts on economic performance and toxic load to the environment

The study reported presents the findings relating to commercial growing of genetically-modified Bt cotton in South Africa by a large sample of smallholder farmers over three seasons (1998/99, 1999/2000, 2000/01) following adoption. The analysis presents constructs and compares groupwise differences for key variables in Bt v. non-Bt technology and uses regressions to further analyse the production and profit impacts of Bt adoption. Analysis of the distribution of benefits between farmers due to the technology is also presented. In parallel with these socio-economic measures, the toxic loads being presented to the environment following the introduction of Bt cotton are monitored in terms of insecticide active ingredient (ai) and the Biocide Index. The latter adjusts ai to allow for differing persistence and toxicity of insecticides.Results show substantial and significant financial benefits to smallholder cotton growers of adopting Bt cotton over three seasons in terms of increased yields, lower insecticide spray costs and higher gross margins. This includes one particularly wet, poor growing season. In addition, those with the smaller holdings appeared to benefit proportionately more from the technology (in terms of higher gross margins) than those with larger holdings. Analysis using the Gini-coefficient suggests that the Bt technology has helped to reduce inequality amongst smallholder cotton growers in Makhathini compared to what may have been the position if they had grown conventional cotton. However, while Bt growers applied lower amounts of insecticide and had lower Biocide Indices (per ha) than growers of non-Bt cotton, some of this advantage was due to a reduction in non-bollworm insecticide. Indeed, the Biocide Index for all farmers in the population actually increased with the introduction of Bt cotton.The results indicate the complexity of such studies on the socio-economic and environmental impacts of GM varieties in the developing world.