German study finds GM crops good for economy, environment

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  An international study has found that genetically modified crops are good for the economy and reduce the amount of pesticides us

  From WATTAgNet:
  An international study funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program FOODSECURE has found that genetically modified (GM) crops are good for the economy and reduce the amount of pesticides used in agriculture.
  The study – the largest ever conducted on the effects of GM crops on farming – found that GM crops are a “promising technology.” The study’s authors found that GM crops have reduced chemical pesticide use by 37 percent, increased crop yields by 22 percent, and increased farmer profits by 68 percent.
  Yields are larger and pesticide use is reduced more for insect-resistant crops than for herbicide-tolerant crops, the study says. The study also found that yield and profit gains are higher in developing countries than in developed countries.
  The study’s authors say they hope their findings will help build public trust for GM technology.
  The study is a meta-analysis – a rigorous study of the numbers inside past studies on the topic -- that included studies of GM crops conducted from 1995 to March 2014 that were published in English. The study was published November 3 in PLOS ONE, the peer-reviewed, open-access publication for the Public Library of Science.