Abstract

This study examines the pivotal role of GMO regulations of the exporting developing countries on their farmers’ adoption of GM crops. We focus on one or two major crops, including cotton, maize and soybean, in each of the five exporting developing countries: Argentina, Brazil, China, India, and Mexico. Various aspects of the import regulations of GMO products are captured by four indices. The relative impact of GMO regulations on exports is assessed to better understand farmers’ domestic production decisions in exporting developing countries. The results show that not all the elements of GM regulations or measures significantly affect the percentage of farmers adopting GM crops. However, the farmers play a significant role in this adoption. Labeling requirements stand out in that they were positively associated with the entire sample and the Latin countries' sample. The risk assessment measure had a slightly negative association with the GM adoption rate.

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