- Title: VARIOUS: GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS COULD PUT AN END TO STARVATION IN AFRICA
- Date: 9th April 1998
- Summary: (L!3) SEATTLE, UNITED STATES (FILE - DECEMBER 2, 1999) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) VARIOUS DEMONSTRATION AGAINST USE OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS (2 SHOTS) (3.00)
- Embargoed: 24th April 1998 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS, KENYA / KAMPALA, UGANDA / IBADAN, NIGERIA / HUAMBO, ANGOLA / VARIOUS LOCATIONS, SOUTHERN SUDAN / SEATTLE, UNITED STATES
- City:
- Country: Kenya
- Topics: Disasters,Environment,Quirky,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVAAQ0A51PO6SVW4LW7RW4Y7UHCQ
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: While African Governments rely on food aid to feed
their starving people, a new solution to the food crisis is
being paraded: genetically modified crops that are resistant
to pests and drought.
A young mother tries to feed her emaciated child.
Scenes like this have become so commonplace in Africa, that
they are sometimes not given a second thought.
The underlying fact is that the continent cannot feed its
people. Wars and poor rain are oversimplified explanations -
food insecurity can be found even in countries at peace. The
governments of 25 African countries now rely on help from the
World Food Programme to
feed their people.
Scientists are trying to sell a new solution to Africa:
genetically modified foods -- or GMO's. The idea is to create
crops that are resistant to pests and drought.
" I'm not trying to say that bio-technology is the silver
bullet to resolve all our food problems, but there is very
good opportunity. It has a very high potential of resolving
some of the problems we've been unable to resolve with the
conventional science," said Romanon Kiome, the director of
Kenya's Agricultural Research Institute.
Samuel Kamau is a small-scale farmer in central Kenya. He
planted genetically modified bananas on his one-acre farm and
is reaping the benefits.
"I would say these ones grow faster, they have bigger
bunches and I think their taste is also palatable," says Kamau
of his new crop.
Before turning to biotechnology, Kamau used to plant his
bananas in the traditional way. He would often lose them all
to plant diseases like Panama and Sigetoka. The diseases would
also sweep through other farms in the region causing localised
famine.
Kamau was desperate for a solution.
"Biotechnology has really helped us farmers, small scale
farmers," he said. "When we planted, I was given about 80
plants and they did very well and from there it has been a
success story."
Neighbouring Uganda is another country where biotechnology
is in practice.
Here, entire crops of cassava were wiped out by the mosaic
virus.
Now, farmers grow a new genetically modified variety developed
by Uganda's National Cassava Programme.
The new strain is getting rave reviews.
"We have built houses, we have bought chairs, beds, we are
sleeping in cassava beds, we are wearing cassava clothes, we
are sending children to school with cassava money, said
Dorothy Kabuye, a local farmer.
But not everyone is convinced. Farmers like Dorothy and
Kamau may be reaping immediate rewards, but dissenting voices
warn of harmful long-term effects.
"It involves releasing into the environment a man-made
plant and what the problem there is that we are using genes
which are not really from the plant kingdom so we don't do
exactly what Nature does," said Dr. Hans Herren, the Director
General of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and
Ecology (ICIPE).
Jane Ngige, a Biologist at Biosystems Kenya, also has her
doubts If they decide to go and use the Genetically Engineered
crops. "We would then be putting our food seed
situation in the hands of a foreigner, in the hands of a
multi-national company who then decides when we get that seed,
at how much we get that seed, and even what type of a seed we
get," she said.
Scientific and ethical debates on GMO's having been going
on in Europe over the last decade.
As a result European governments now have strict
guidelines for regulating the biotechnology industry. But the
information and policing so readily available to Western
consumers is hard to find in Africa's developing countries.
The danger that Africa could become a testing ground for
GMO's is very real. Especially when it takes months or years
to make it past industry watchdogs in Europe.
The use of GMO's on the continent might also be increasing
through organisations that may have the best of intentions.
"It is possible that some of the food aid we distribute is
genetically modified," said Laura Melo of the World Food
Programme, "because we receive donations from a large number
of countries, twelve of which do produce GM foods and there is
no separation at the farmer's level."
Even biotechnology companies that promote and sell GMOs
agree that working in an unregulated environment is unhealthy.
"One of our principles is that we do not enter into a
country and give a GMO offering unless biosafety guidelines
are in place," said Valentine Miheso, Kenyan Manager of
Monsanto, a multi-national company that produces GM foods.
"Those guidelines go a long way in protecting consumers, in
protecting the public and protecting also us as a company," he
added.
But it's hard for Biotech multinationals to ignore the
business opportunities that a hungry continent presents.
Even when some recipients are aware of possible negative
effects, their struggle to survive makes it hard for them to
care.
"I think our farmers know what hunger means," said Samuel
Kamau. "We have been hungry, but when we see these big
bunches, we've been eating them. Whether you say biotech is
not whatever, the myth about it, me, I have a different idea
altogether. Biotech is here to assist the poor farmer," he
added.
Biotech companies are likely to continue to market GMOs as
the best and easiest solution.
But yielding more crops will not solve all the problems of
farmers like Samuel Kamau.
Dr. Hans Herren insists GMO's are not the answer to
Africa's food crisis.
"Farmers in order to produce goods need inputs on one
hand, they need credit but above all what do they need is a
market," he said.
The food crisis on the continent makes it difficult to
resist the temptation of producing more and more GMO's.
Observers say African governments need to adopt clear policies
and guidelines to raise awareness on the option of genetically
modified foods -- to educate people on the advantages and
disadvantages of GMO's before they make the choice. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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