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May 20, 2009
Written by Pius Sawa,
Africa Science
News Service
International experts, key policymakers, heads of farmers
associations, and private sector representatives are gathered in
Entebbe, Uganda to examine the potential benefits and challenges
of producing genetically modified (GM) crops in Africa.
The conference, "Delivering Agricultural Biotechnology to
African Farmers: Linking Economic Research to Decision Making,"
is organized by the International
Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in collaboration with
the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology and the
Science Foundation for Livelihoods and Development and is to run
from May 19-21.
"In the coming years, growing populations, stagnating
agricultural productivity, and increasing climate change will
make it even more difficult for Africa to tackle poverty,
hunger, and malnutrition," said Mark Rosegrant, director of
IFPRI’s Environment and Production Technology Division.
"To confront these challenges, many African countries are
increasingly assessing a range of tools and technologies,
including agricultural biotechnologies, which hold great promise
for improving crop yields, household incomes, and the
nutritional quality of food in an environmentally sustainable
way."
By bringing social scientists and decision-makers together, this
first-of-its-kind conference aims to bridge the gap between
policy and research, and provide solid information and evidence
on which sound choices and investments related to GM technology
can be made.
Research presented at the conference, for example, shows that in
delaying the approval of GM fungal-resistant banana, Uganda
foregoes potential benefits ranging from about US$179 million to
US$365 million a year.
According to IFPRI analysis, expansion in the adoption of GM
crops could also significantly lower the price of food in
developing countries by 2050.
Realising these benefits, however, depends on acceptance by
farmers, public awareness and consumer preferences, regulatory
and market issues, and strong political will, including the
willingness to invest in new technology.
Deciding whether or not to make GM crops a priority in their
agricultural development and food and nutrition security
strategies and invest in modern biotechnology is an important
consideration for many African countries.
To help inform such policy decisions, conference participants
will share research findings that address critical questions.
"Managing the opportunities and risks posed by GM crops,
including trade-related challenges, requires countries to have
well-functioning, efficient, and responsible biosafety systems,"
said Margaret Karembu, director of the
International Service for the
Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) AfriCenter
in Nairobi, where the Kenya Biosafety Bill became law in
February 2009, joining Mali and Togo, which enacted national
biosafety legislation in 2008.
"These countries’ experiences offer useful lessons for other
African countries working to develop biosafety policies,
including the increased potential to benefit from proven
research and help smallholder farmers with limited resources
gain access to agricultural biotechnologies and successfully use
them," she added.
"Considerable experience suggests that biotechnology can
contribute to improved food production and quality in developing
countries," said Dr. Rosegrant.
He added that crop traits currently in the development
pipeline-including drought and heat tolerance-are of particular
value to African farmers. |
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