Abstract
We implemented a cluster randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of genetically modified eggplant (Bt brinjal) in Bangladesh. Our two primary outcomes were changes in yield and in pesticide costs. Cultivation of Bt brinjal raises yields by 3,564 kg/ha. This statistically significant impact is equivalent to a 51% increase relative to the control group. There is a statistically significant fall in pesticide costs, 7,175 Taka per hectare (85 USD per ha), a 37.5% reduction. Yield increases arise because Bt farmers harvest more eggplant and because fewer fruits are discarded because they are damaged. Bt brinjal farmers sell more eggplant and receive a higher price for the output they sell while incurring lower input costs, resulting in a 128% increase in net revenues. Bt brinjal farmers used smaller quantities of pesticides and sprayed less frequently. Bt brinjal reduced the toxicity of pesticides as much as 76%. Farmers growing Bt brinjal and who had pre‐existing chronic conditions consistent with pesticide poisoning were 11.5% points less likely to report a symptom of pesticide poisoning and were less likely to incur cash medical expenses to treat these symptoms. Our results are robust to changes in model specification and adjustment for multiple hypothesis testing. We did not find evidence of heterogeneous effects by farmer age, schooling, or land cultivated. Bt brinjal is a publicly developed genetically modified organism that conveys significant productivity and income benefits while reducing the use of pesticides damaging to human and ecological health.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by-nc-nd. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 14
Claim · model-written summary
Bt brinjal increased yield by 3,564 kg/ha, or 51% against control.
- Taxon
- eggplant
Solanum melongenat0 - Treatment
- Bt brinjale0
- Outcome
- yieldse0
- Direction
- raisese0
- Value
- 3,564 kg/hae0
- Qualifier
- 51% increasee0
- Comparator
- control groupe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cultivation of Bt brinjal raises yields by 3,564 kg/ha. This statistically significant impact is equivalent to a 51% increase relative to the control group”
t0“eggplant”
Claim · model-written summary
Bt brinjal reduced pesticide costs by 7,175 Taka per hectare, or 37.5%.
- Taxon
- EggplantSolanum melongenat0
- Treatment
- Btt0
- Outcome
- pesticide costse0
- Direction
- falle0
- Value
- 7,175 Taka per hectaree0
- Qualifier
- 37.5% reductione0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“statistically significant fall in pesticide costs, 7,175 Taka per hectare (85 USD per ha), a 37.5% reduction”
t0“Bt Eggplant”
Claim · model-written summary
Bt farmers harvested more eggplant.
- Taxon
- eggplantSolanum melongenae0
- Treatment
- Bte0
- Outcome
- harveste0
- Direction
- moree0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Bt farmers harvest more eggplant”
Claim · model-written summary
Bt farmers discarded fewer damaged fruits.
- Taxon
- EggplantSolanum melongenat0
- Treatment
- Btt0
- Outcome
- fruits are discardede0
- Direction
- fewere0
- Qualifier
- because they are damagede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“fewer fruits are discarded because they are damaged”
t0“Bt Eggplant”
Claim · model-written summary
Bt brinjal farmers sold more eggplant.
- Taxon
- eggplantSolanum melongenae0
- Treatment
- Bt brinjale0
- Outcome
- selle0
- Direction
- moree0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Bt brinjal farmers sell more eggplant”
Claim · model-written summary
Bt brinjal farmers received a higher output price.
- Taxon
- eggplantSolanum melongenae0
- Treatment
- Bt brinjale0
- Outcome
- pricee0
- Direction
- highere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Bt brinjal farmers sell more eggplant and receive a higher price for the output they sell”
Claim · model-written summary
Bt brinjal farmers had lower input costs.
- Taxon
- EggplantSolanum melongenat0
- Treatment
- Btt0
- Outcome
- input costse0
- Direction
- lowere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“while incurring lower input costs”
t0“Bt Eggplant”
Claim · model-written summary
Bt brinjal increased net revenues by 128%.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“resulting in a 128% increase in net revenues”
t0“Bt Eggplant”
Claim · model-written summary
Bt farmers used smaller pesticide quantities.
- Taxon
- brinjalSolanum melongenae0
- Treatment
- Bt brinjale0
- Outcome
- quantities of pesticidese0
- Direction
- smallere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Bt brinjal farmers used smaller quantities of pesticides”
Claim · model-written summary
Bt farmers sprayed pesticides less frequently.
- Taxon
- brinjalSolanum melongenae0
- Treatment
- Bt brinjale0
- Outcome
- sprayede0
- Direction
- less frequentlye0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Bt brinjal farmers used smaller quantities of pesticides and sprayed less frequently”
Claim · model-written summary
Bt brinjal reduced pesticide toxicity by as much as 76%.
- Taxon
- brinjalSolanum melongenae0
- Treatment
- Bt brinjale0
- Outcome
- toxicity of pesticidese0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 76%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Bt brinjal reduced the toxicity of pesticides as much as 76%”
Claim · model-written summary
Bt brinjal farmers with chronic conditions were 11.5 percentage points less likely to report a poisoning symptom.
- Taxon
- brinjalSolanum melongenae0
- Treatment
- Bt brinjale0
- Outcome
- report a symptom of pesticide poisoninge0
- Direction
- less likelye0
- Value
- 11.5% pointse0
- Qualifier
- pre‐existing chronic conditionse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Farmers growing Bt brinjal and who had pre‐existing chronic conditions consistent with pesticide poisoning were 11.5% points less likely to report a symptom of pesticide poisoning”
Claim · model-written summary
Bt brinjal farmers with chronic conditions were less likely to incur medical expenses for poisoning symptoms.
- Taxon
- EggplantSolanum melongenat0
- Treatment
- Btt0
- Outcome
- incur cash medical expensese0
- Direction
- less likelye0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“were less likely to incur cash medical expenses to treat these symptoms”
t0“Bt Eggplant”
Claim · model-written summary
No heterogeneous effects were detected by farmer age, schooling, or cultivated land.
- Taxon
- EggplantSolanum melongenat0
- Outcome
- heterogeneous effectse0
- Setting
- land cultivatede0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“We did not find evidence of heterogeneous effects by farmer age, schooling, or land cultivated”
t0“Bt Eggplant”
The same questions in other papers
transgenic · molecular: metabolites · Solanum melongena (eggplant)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
transgenic · yield · Solanum melongena (eggplant)Results agree
6 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
- positive
3 papers more in this group
See all 7 papers →transgenic · pest · Solanum melongena (eggplant)Results agree
8 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
- positive
5 papers more in this group
See all 9 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.