East Africa: Farmers Urged to Adopt Biotech

East Africa: Farmers Urged to Adopt Biotech

Small-scale farmers in the East African region have been urged to opt for Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) crops to foster the region's economic growth..

Mark Lynas, a former anti-GMO activist, last week told EABW, the use biotechnology crops would assure better outputs to farmers and promote food security in the region.

"The biotech crops are a commercial good and will offer farmers superior harvests and high quality crops. This will enable smallholder farmers compete favorably in the world market," Lynas said.

He applauded local plant scientists, who are in the forefront of research in new biotech crops for their efforts to combat new pests and diseases. These pests and diseaeses threaten to wipe out staple crops.

"Only GM technology can save the banana from regional eradication by banana bacterial wilt. There is no other way to reliably protect it. I visited the GMO trial of virus-resistant cassava at Namulongein Uganda and can report that the crop looks extremely healthy and vibrant" he said.

According to Lynas. the assumption that organic agriculture can feed the increasing population is deluded and undermining to food security. The world will have another 1 billion people in the next 12 years, and a total of 9.5 billion by 2050 and cannot be fed from organic agriculture alone.

Lynas said most of the anti-GMO case is based on myths and misconceptions. For instance, there is still a widely-held view that GM crops are necessarily sterile and cannot be replanted.

He said: "This myth goes back to the original terminator technology which was researched by Monsanto but never adopted. It is promoted by NGOs who draw funds from donors to stop biotechnology in Africa."

He said these foreign donors have an agenda, to make sure Africa does not need new technologies in agriculture.This foreign agenda is repeated by their local representatives, many of whom have misleading names and promote anti-science misinformation.

Dr. Hassan Mshinda, the Director General of the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), said GM crops could be alternatives of seed crops in Africa.

He said the so-called first-generation GM crops have improved traits. Crops can also be modified to ward off plant viruses or fungi. Due to more effective pest control, crop yields are often higher.

Lynas said, fifteen years ago, he was an anti-GMO activist, determined to ensure biotechnology was never adopted. He destroyed crops in fields in the United Kingdom, published long creeds against Monsanto. He insisted that GM seeds would enslave farmers and usher in an era of multinational dominance of the food system.

However through his work on climate change, writing books and being advisor to a head of state, he discovered the science on the safety of biotechnology is just as clear as the science on the reality of climate change.

Agriculture is the foundation of the Tanzanian economy. It accounts for about half of the national income, three quarters of merchandise exports and provides employment opportunities to about 80% of the people. ALLAFRICA