The global food crisis has sharpened attention on how to improve conditions for the world's poor, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Burkina Faso is an African trend-setter in adopting two specific reforms, the liberalization of the state-run cotton sector and the adoption of genetically engineered (GE) cotton, both of which are designed to improve the livelihoods of poor producers and blunt the negative impacts of the food crisis. Preliminary research suggests, however, that both of these reforms may contribute to a widening gap between rich and poor by promoting economic opportunities that benefit the relatively rich to the neglect or detriment of the relatively poor. Such social differentiation could lead to decreased food production by poor rural producers and increased migration of poor rural producers to urban areas where they must purchase food at rising costs. In the case of both reforms, the Burkinabé state is depicted as a passive recipient of plans designed by international financial institutions (liberalization) and multinational agro-business companies (GE cotton). Little is known about how the state changes and implements reforms to help poor producers. This research has two goals: 1) to determine whether and how liberalization and GE cotton reforms contribute to a widening gap between rich and poor in Burkina Faso, and 2) to demonstrate the role of the state in contributing to this process of social differentiation. This research employs a mixed-method approach including archival research, critical document review, quantitative data, and interviews of rural producers and of key cotton sector actors and key informants.
This research will evaluate whether two important reforms, namely the liberalization of the agricultural sector and the introduction of genetically engineered organisms are useful measures to address the food crisis. An output of this research with be whether to continue with such reforms and/or how to modify them to better achieve their goal of blunting the impacts of the food crisis for poor producers. This research will also demonstrate how the state interacts with these reforms, potentially exacerbating or diluting their impacts. These questions are of considerable concern given the current financial crisis, and a subsequent decrease in development assistance for poor countries. As a doctoral dissertation improvement grant this award empowers a promising student to establish a promising research career that aids society.
