COMMENTARY African farmers’ problems can’t be solved by high-tech seeds By Majwala Meaud Major Posted Friday, September 13 2013 at 01:00 As our Parliament debates the National Biotechnology and Bio-safety Bill, a lot still remains unknown. Employing experts in this field for capacity building and knowledge enhancement may be essential. New biotechnology has evoked high hopes, high stakes and fears for ultimate human control over nature amidst food insecurity, poverty, and climate change. Behind claims for hypothetical risks and benefits, there lies conflicts over how nature may be controlled and even reconstructed for specific human purposes. Agricultural biotechnology has provoked much debate on how to anticipate unintended effects on soil quality, nutritional values, natural resources and the general environment. At a recent G8 Summit, President Obama unveiled a $3 billion 10-year programme to reduce hunger in Africa. At the meeting, Mr Obama announced the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, arguing that the advanced farming techniques developed by corporations such as Monsanto, Cargill and DuPont can be an effective response to the “moral imperative” of ending hunger in Africa. As part of the alliance, agricultural corporations from several countries will collaborate with government officials in selected African nations, along with civil society groups and local farmers to increase crop yields. Monsanto is committing $50 million to the plan. The US-based corporation, which specialises in biotechnology research and applications, says it will focus its investment partly on Kilimo Kwanza project in Tanzania. Monsanto seeks to introduce new maize hybrids suitable for Tanzania, in addition to making financing more easily available to farmers. Meanwhile, Obama’s Africa food plan prompts alerts on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). Those opposed to farming initiatives involving GMOs say the food security scheme is mainly to help US agribusinesses to bring biotechnology to African countries. The goal of agribusiness corporations is not to fight hunger; their objective is to make money. The fundamental argument is that the aim of reducing hunger in Africa by promoting corporate investment in agriculture is not well-intentioned and misguided. A similar project is underway in Kenya. Pioneer, a unit of Du Pont, at the beginning of this year, announced an African project similar to Monsanto’s that is aimed at developing maize varieties that produce more grain on less nitrogen fertilizer. Boosting African food production could also take some political heat off US farmers and biofuel producers accused of boosting global food prices by diverting corn/maize and soya beans into ethanol and biodiesel. Increased maize/food prices fall especially hard on Africans for whom maize is a staple food. In Kenya, the seeds are to be distributed free of the royalties that are typically included in the price of a bag of seed. Because of these royalties, biotech seeds now sold in South Africa cost about 30 to 40 per cent more than conventional varieties. Similar field trials are planned in Rwanda, Uganda, Mozambique and Burundi. In Uganda, even with no clear policy framework on bio-technology, trials are going on in Kawanda and Namulonge agricultural research centres backed by informal field trials. Yes, the agricultural revolution that entails innovative commercially-oriented and modern agriculture has prompted the need to embrace biotechnology even without going the whole distance on field-based research, technical and regulatory mechanisms, sustainable land use and management, effective capacity building and knowledge enhancement for our farmers. This African project may be a publicity stunt. African farmers’ problems are too complex to be solved by high-tech seeds. With poverty, poor storage facilities, pests and diseases, land conflicts, drought and inadequate markets, Monsanto’s super seeds are unlikely to help. Yes, biotech seeds could boost yields during shorter dry spells, or a period of moderate drought, by as much as 25 percent. Also, American agribusiness interests argue that Africans must drop their opposition to genetically modified crops if the continent is going to feed its growing population, but GMOs should be regulated. Mr Major is the president of Sustainable World Initiative – East Africa. majormeaud@gmail
Posted on: Fri, 13 Sep 2013 12:09:28 +0000
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