In 2013 Bangladesh commercialised Bt eggplant, becoming the first developing country in the world to take a public sector genetically modified food crop to benefit smallholder farmers. Bt eggplant (or brinjal) carries a gene that makes it resistant to the main crop pest, fruit and shoot borer. This serious pest otherwise destroys over half the crop and forces farmers to spray toxic insecticides. Bt brinjal enables farmers to dramatically reduce their use of insecticides, by 80% or more, and thereby protect their health and the local environment.
This photostory illustrates the latest experiences of some of the farmers in Bangladesh who are currently growing Bt brinjal. These photos were taken by Feed the Future project leaders who visited these farmers and spoke with them in March 2016.
