The barriers to innovation diffusion : the case of GM food in Sri Lanka

Genetically modified (GM) food has been positioned as a significant innovation with a huge potential for alleviating malnutrition in developing economies. Some potential beneficiaries, however, have been reluctant to accept GM food. Many countries have GM food regulations and some have banned GM organisms. This chapter focuses on barriers to diffusion of innovation and analyses the case of GM food diffusion in Sri Lanka using the Rogers’s classical model of innovation diffusion (2003). A complete ban on GM products in 2001 was later relaxed to demand only GM labelling regulations, but GM food has not gained a prominent position in the Sri Lankan market. The attributes of GM food perceived by consumers, the communication system, government responses and broader social expectations have been unfavorable to GM food diffusion. The case of GM food innovation in Sri Lanka demonstrates the very social nature of the process; involving far more than seed producers, growers and related commercial enterprises.