¿quién se beneficia con los cultivos transgénicos? el uso creciente de plaguicidas

The report argues that genetically modified (GM) crops provide no substantive environmental, social, or economic benefits. It highlights a significant increase in pesticide use, particularly glyphosate, due to the emergence of herbicide-resistant weeds in the US, Brazil, and Argentina. The document further contends that GM crops do not increase yields—citing evidence that Roundup Ready soy may actually suffer yield losses—and that they do not address global hunger, as most are used for animal feed or biofuels in wealthy nations. Additionally, it criticizes the concentration of seed control by a few multinational corporations, which increases costs and restricts farmers' ability to save seeds.

• Genetically modified (GM) crop production is highly concentrated, with over 90% of planted areas located in five countries: the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. The US alone accounts for more than 50% of global GM crop production.
• Herbicide-resistant GM crops act as 'pesticide promoters' by encouraging the development of resistant weeds, leading to higher chemical use. In the US, glyphosate use in major field crops increased more than 15-fold between 1994 and 2005, and the amount applied per acre of soy rose by over 150% from 1994 to 2006.
• GM crops have not improved food security for the poor because they are primarily used for animal feed, biofuels, and processed foods for wealthy countries. Furthermore, no existing commercial GM crops have been modified to increase yield.
• Evidence suggests that Roundup Ready soy may experience yield losses of 5% to 10% compared to conventional varieties, partly because glyphosate limits the absorption of essential nutrients like manganese.
• The adoption of Bt cotton has not consistently increased yields or reduced pesticide use. In India's Andhra Pradesh state, a 2007 study found Bt cotton farmers used the same amount of pesticides and spent the same amount of money as conventional farmers.
• A small number of agrochemical-biotechnology multinationals, including Monsanto, DuPont-Pioneer, Syngenta, and Bayer, now control most of the world's commercial seeds, leading to higher prices and the restriction of the traditional practice of seed saving.

APA

Villar, J. L., & Freese, B. (2008). ¿quién se beneficia con los cultivos transgénicos? el uso creciente de plaguicidas. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/08-foei-gmo-es-esp-lr.pdf

Chicago

Villar, Juan López, and Bill Freese. ¿quién se beneficia con los cultivos transgénicos? el uso creciente de plaguicidas. Friends of the Earth International, 2008. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/08-foei-gmo-es-esp-lr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Villar |first1=Juan López |last2=Freese |first2=Bill |title=¿quién se beneficia con los cultivos transgénicos? el uso creciente de plaguicidas |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=January 2008 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/08-foei-gmo-es-esp-lr.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{villar2008quin, author = {Villar, Juan López and Freese, Bill}, title = {{¿quién se beneficia con los cultivos transgénicos? el uso creciente de plaguicidas}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2008}, month = jan, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/08-foei-gmo-es-esp-lr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }