Source – The Citizen (Tanzania)
By Sturmius Mtweve
Date – 17 August 2013
Website – www.thecitizen.co.tz
That’s the view of experts, who note that, the farmers are at a crossroads on the controversial subject that is pitting those for and against GMOs.
Dar es Salaam - African farmers, whose knowledge on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is very limited, should not be forced to embrace it, but be allowed the freedom to choose which crops they should sow for feeding their families and the continent at large.
That’s the view of experts, who note that, the farmers are at a crossroads on the controversial subject that is pitting those for and against GMOs.
The experts say the African farmer can only make an informed decision on the matter after being properly educated on what genetically engineered crops are and what benefits their use can yield.
Currently the general public in Africa, particularly small-scale farmers, have little knowledge and information on the use of biotechnology in agriculture.
They are also misinformed on the issue, which has divided the world and created divisions in governments, caused misunderstandings among policymakers and led to academic rivalries among researchers and scientists.
Limited by a shallow background on science and technology, farmers in the continent remain confused and undecided on which way to go.
Principally, GMO involves a laboratory process of taking genes from one species and inserting them into another in an attempt to obtain a desired trait or characteristic.
This process is called either genetic engineering (GE) or genetic modification (GM).
For many years, intensive discussions over health concerns of genetically engineered crops have been rampant.
Until very recently, farmers have been propagating the use of seeds prepared conventionally while big biotech companies, which now increasingly target Africa, want the adoption and more use of GMOs.
In Africa, it is only a few African countries notably South Africa that have commercialised GMO crops on a substantial scale. In Tanzania for example, no genetically modified crops are grown currently.
“As Africans remain at a crossroads on whether to accept or not to accept biotechnology in farming, the rest of the world has been making big advances in the area. The world is making remarkable strides that will see Africa remain hungry and an importer of food despite the abundant availability of fertile land,” says Mr Mark Lynus.
The reformed anti-GMOs activist says ignorance and lack of appropriate information on the subject offers NGOs and some countries in the West the opportunity to intensify the anti-GMO agenda in Africa.
Mr Lynus made these remarks at a recent open discussion on GMOs in Dodoma, which was organised by the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) in collaboration with an Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB).
The gathering sought to provide public awareness to most Tanzanians who are still unfamiliar with the technology.
According to Mr Lynus, it is technological rivalry between pro-organic firms, pesticide manufacturers and pro-GMO firms that makes the world divided over which technology is better than the other on bioengineering in farming.
The activist says Africa is being denied the opportunity to apply biotechnology in agriculture in order to create a market for GMO foods made in developed nations.
To him, farmers in Africa have the right to choose which crops to grow and in no way should they be forced to adopt new technology but they should be educated on the merits and demerits of their choice.
Mr Lynus insists that organic crops should not drive out GMOs and equally, GMOs should not drive out organic crops. “We don’t need to be pro-organic or pro-GMOs; it is just a matter of trying new developed crops to improve both quality and quantity,” he said.
Speaking at the gathering, Dr Joseph Ndunguru from Mikocheni Agricultural Research Institute said Tanzania was yet to embark on GMO farming.
“I want to assure Tanzanians that there are no genetically engineered crops that are grown by farmers in the country, it’s only laboratory tests, mainly on cassava, that are taking place right now,” he said.
He said in Africa only Burkina Faso and Sudan have already ventured into GM cotton farming (Bt Cotton) while Kenya, Uganda and Malawi are doing field trials of the same. Burkina Faso has emerged as one of the more progressive and proactive sub-Saharan African countries regarding biotechnology.
Dr Ndunguru dismissed claims that GM crops are introduced as a plan for developed countries to depopulate Africa, create seed dependency and harm the environment.
The scientist points out that, Africa now needs to embrace diversity of technology that will help to ensure food security and help to reduce abject poverty. Doing that is vital as a measure of ensuring and maintaining peace and tranquillity in the continent, he argued.
“The only way we can solve the ailing African crops like cassava, bananas and cotton is through the use of biotechnology,” said Dr Ndunguru. “For example, the cassava mosaic disease was discovered in Tanzania since 1892, but scientists are still grappling with it.”
In finding a lasting solution to the biotechnology debate, Mr Lynus adds that African scientists should work with their counterparts in Europe and other parts of the world to share knowledge, skills and experience on the benefits and challenges of the technology in the continent.
He lamented that Africa is being denied the right to use biotechnology to produce enough food to feed itself and to avoid dependency on aid from other countries.
“It’s always good to see a campaign to help the poor positively, particularly when it is to alleviate hunger. But, controversial donations should never be accepted into our societies by suspicious organisations. Africans have the right to live naturally, ‘ he remarked.
Over the past two decades, there have been a number of international organizations and individuals who have been opposing adoption of GM crops on the grounds that they cause cancer and they cannot be replanted.
Supporters of GM crops in Africa say that these myths are promoted by NGOs funded by foreign entities that do not want Africa to benefit from biotechnology.
They argue that since genetically engineered crops are disease- and pest-resistant, pesticide manufacturers see it as a threat to the survival of their business.
In Tanzania, the evolution of the GM crops sub-sector is also hindered by some legislations, such as the Biosafety Regulations of 2009. Dr Aloys Kullaya from Mikocheni Agricultural Research Institute said these laws were a bottleneck because they did not allow laboratory researches and tests to be taken for field trials.
The regulations employ the “Precautionary Principle”, which means that a lack of scientific evidence is not a basis for refusing or restricting GMOs or biotech products.
The regulations also employ the “Strict Liability” principle, which broadly states that any “person who imports, arranges transit, makes use of, releases or places on the market a GMO or product of a GMO, shall be strictly liable for any harm caused by such a GMO or product of a GMO”, which should be “fully compensated”.
“I think if the government amends some of these restrictive regulations, it will be a good idea because it will make most of our studies productive and beneficial to the society,” Dr Kullaya said.