STUDYING ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS TO GMOS IN INDIA

In light of the contradictions around GMOs, and in order to contribute to a better understanding of the attitudes and perceptions of key stakeholders in India,  Gene Campaign, Central University Hyderabad and PAEDIA (Peoples Archive Education, Industry & the Arts) conducted a 3 year  research study which has now concluded. We will share the key findings of this research with you in this space and will look forward to your comments. 

It is our hope that other institutions will think of conducting similar studies that will contribute knowledge and understanding in other areas of science and technology. We hope also that policy makers will pay attention to the attitudes expressed by farmers, consumers, students, scientists and other professionals to GM technology and frame policies keeping in mind the sensitivities of the public.

There is substantial understanding of the way GM technology is perceived in developed countries where studies have been ongoing on attitudes to GM Foods but there is no comprehensive scientific study as yet to assess the  public attitude to GMOs in India although, a couple of reports have appeared recently on willingness to pay and the performance of Bt cotton.

 There is a critical need for a study on attitudes and perceptions to GMOs in view of the fact that Bt cotton has been on the market for some years and the anticipated release of Bt brinjal, the first GM food has seen a confrontation between government agencies and

civil society groups opposed to the release of GM foods. The reactions to the approval granted to Bt brinjal has once again shown that public concerns have not been addressed and there is  no dialogue between government and non government actors on issues like desirability and safety of GM foods. A writ petition in the Supreme Court [Gene Campaign PIL no. 115 (2004)] has been asking for a regulatory system that is technically stronger, transparent and inclusive, involving the public in decision making, but no final decisions have come on it yet.

The global debate on GM crops and foods has revealed the need for good governance and participatory policymaking in the field of bio technology. A key component of this is the recognition that the public is not just a stakeholder but a key contributor to the debate. Peoples’ opinions, apprehensions and concerns can no longer be excluded by policymakers, experts and industry alike, as stemming from ignorance and prejudice, even technophobia.  The public has shown itself to be open-minded, rational and progressive in adopting what are seen as individually empowering technology products when, in their perception, benefits outweigh constraints and risks to use. But in ag-biotechnology the waters become muddied by controversy over exactly such perceptions. Individual consumer benefits in terms of food choice, appearance and taste or health are not easily commensurable with the clear public need for government regulation in the introduction of new agricultural products based on GM technology.

In light of the contradictions, and in order to contribute to a better understanding of the attitudes and perceptions of key stakeholders in India,  Gene Campaign, Central University Hyderabad and PAEDIA (Peoples Archive Education, Industry & the Arts) conducted a 3 year  research study which has now concluded. We will share the key findings of the research study with you in this space and will look forward to your comments.  It is our hope that other institutions will think of conducting similar studies that will contribute knowledge and understanding in other areas of science and technology. We hope also that policy makers will pay attention to the attitudes expressed by farmers , consumers, students , scientists and other professionals to GM technology and frame policies keeping in mind the sensitivities of the public.

Essentially the approach of this study was to understand the attitude to risk and how risk is perceived by diverse stakeholders with respect to the production and consumption of food, and their view on the regulation of risk.

The study aimed to understand a broader response to risk in agriculture and food, embedded in the highly differentiated context of Indian farming conditions and Indian farmers on the one hand and the socio- cultural matrix in which Indians view their food.