BENEFITS, COSTS, AND PERCEPTIONS OF A FUNGUS-RESISTANT BANANA 123


one might conclude that NARO has to work harder to push the GM banana through the biosafety protocols as promptly and efficiently as possible. Findings have revealed that government policies delaying the introduction


of GM bananas are more in line with the views of wealthier and better edu- cated citizens, the elites, than with the views of the majority of the population. Although this is a disturbing observation—as mainly rural households eco- nomically gain from the introduction of a GM banana—a careful approach toward introducing a GM banana is needed to avoid strong urban consumer resistance. In that case, knowing who will be affected by the new innovations is fundamental in foretelling aggregate benefits. The findings have further shown that the introduction of GM bananas


could be beneficial for Ugandan society as a whole and would merit policy support, albeit with consideration of compensation mechanisms aimed at transferring some of the benefits from gainers to losers. Some methods of com- pensation might be providing more and reliable information about the safety of the technology, which could be channeled through (in addition to the cur- rent institutions) local authorities and extension workers. The findings show that there is a high level of awareness and trust in local leaders and extension workers and scant knowledge of UNCST and Consumer Education Trust, the two main agencies responsible for informing consumers about GM food. This finding suggests an opportunity for informing consumers about GM food through local leaders and extension workers. We would recommend instead of UNCST and the Consumer Education Trust informing consumers directly that they use part of their resources for training local leaders and enlisting their help in spreading information. This strategy would help offset the negative KAP toward GM technology, especially among urban consumers. The approach used here highlights how one can evaluate the socio-


economic aspects of GM crops in general, linking both the consumers and adopters of the technology. We have also indicated how one can con- sider long-term irreversible effects and assess consumer attitudes about GM crops. Empirical research along the lines of the methodology followed in this study can be adapted to new GM crops requiring biosafety assessments prior to commercialization. Such research can help overcome one of the problems of establishing a biosafety system in Uganda and in other developing coun- tries. In particular, NARO may institutionalize the approach suggested in this study and build a system that allows for conducting similar analyses of other GM crops—such as Bt cotton currently undergoing environmental and food safety assessments.


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