Bt cotton, pink bollworm, and the political economy of sociobiological obsolescence: insights from Telangana, India

After genetically engineered Bt cotton lost its effectiveness in central and southern Indian states, pink bollworm infestations have recently returned to farmers' fields and have substantially shifted their vulnerability context. We conceive Bt cotton as a neoliberal technology that is built to protect farmers only temporarily from Lepidopteran pests while ultimately driving the further concentration of capital. Based on data from a representative survey of the three major cotton-producing districts of the state of Telangana (n = 457), we find that pink bollworm pest infestations are a shock to farmers that lead to severe losses in yield and income. Using the vulnerability concept as a framework, we embed our findings in a political-economic context by drawing on Harvey's notion of accumulation by dispossession. We argue that Bt cotton includes an inherent sociobiological obsolescence that results in a systematic dispossession of resource-poor households while providing appropriation opportunities for other actors. Finally, reproduced hegemonic structures facilitate the accumulation of capital through a redistribution of assets from the bottom to the top of the agricultural sector. Claims that considered Bt cotton as a pro-poor technology were thus flawed from the outset.

Automated summary

The return of pink bollworm infestations in farmers' fields in India, after the loss of effectiveness of genetically engineered Bt cotton, has caused severe losses in yield and income for farmers. This study argues that Bt cotton, as a neoliberal technology, not only temporarily protects farmers from pests but also accelerates the concentration of capital. The dispossession of resource-poor households and the accumulation of capital through redistribution of assets contribute to the reproduction of hegemonic structures.