By Ochieng’ Ogodo, Journalist – Kenya
Crop biotechnology has been around for nearly 14 years now and has
been much embraced by the farming community in some countries of the
global economic North, such as the US, as well as in some developing
countries, like Argentina and Brazil among a few others. But Africa is
still very slow in embracing this technology. According to the
conclusions of a meeting held in May 2009 by the International Food
Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Entebbe, Uganda, various factors
account for this.
Precautionary Approach
Mark W. Rosegrant, director of the IFPRI Environment and Production
Technology division, says that one of the major impediments is the
precautionary (protective) approach of the regulatory frameworks (the
rules and regulations set by national biotechnology committees to guide
the use of biotechnology in agriculture). Whereas, according to him,
there have been no health problems with foods derived from genetically
modified organisms (GMOs), these frameworks are packed with some strong
protective measures against them.
"Once GMOs have been approved, things should move, but regulatory
frameworks have been more precautionary of promoting the safe use of
biotechnology in Africa," Rosegrant said.
"Africa is still missing out to a large extent on GM [genetic
modification] technology. This is not a silver bullet but [a tool] that
could have great positive impacts, especially with climate change," he
added.
According to Rosegrant, the absence of modern scientific platforms
for homegrown biotechnology is yet another major impediment in Africa.
He believes the developed world should help African nations train
scientists and help them acquire the technologies needed for crop
biotechnology to enhance improved agricultural production.
The public sector, Rosegrant points out, should be open to the
private sector instead of being a barrier. There are too many
bureaucratic processes hindering private investments in the development
and commercialization of this technology.
Proper information on crop biotechnology has also been lacking.
Rosegrant says it is high time for access to copyrighted crop traits to
be made available to developing countries, so that their scientists can
gain knowledge of the biological makeup of some of the most important
crops in the developing world, such as cassava and teff.
Africa can make up for some of the chances lost during the green
revolution if African scientists begin to localize engineered plant
characteristics and introduce them into traditional crops to fortify
them against adverse agricultural conditions, such as drought.
Whereas fellowship programs for African scientists have helped build
Africa’s human capacity, many African scientists are left on their own
once they leave the Western academic institutions and state-of-the-art
laboratories.
Once back home, these scientists face a number of problems, such as
the lack of well-equipped laboratories, poor pay packages, and general
apathy. "There are fellowship programs in the West, but it is good to
help maintain them [African scientists] once back in their countries in
terms of salaries, supporting their laboratories, and allowing them to
work in close collaboration with the laboratories [in the West] that
have advanced scientific platforms."
Lack of Capacity
Robert Paarlberg of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs
at Harvard University says that Africa still lacks the capacity of
advancement of biotechnology, both human and technological, when
compared to India and China:
There are also many hurdles in the way of crop biotechnology [placed]
by bodies like the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the
Global Environment Facility.
Paarlberg explains that the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, which
sets rules on GMOs, was drafted under great influence from these two
bodies, so it did not take into consideration the need for new sciences
addressing the rapidly declining agricultural production, especially in
the developing world.
He opines that the UNEP emphasizes the protection of the environment
and stands in the way of agriculture. "But most GM crops are Maize and
Cotton where the use of insecticides is minimal," he explained.
The preventive approach in the rules and guidelines followed by
national biosafety committees in Africa hardly supports the difficulties
encountered in crop biotechnology. For instance, it takes an agronomist
at least a year to get approval for a confined field trial of a cartian
variety of seeds. Further, after the field trials, an agronomist cannot
obtain permission to sell the seeds in the market. "Kenya has examined
GM crops for 10 years but has not approved any. Only Burkina Faso and
South Africa have approved GM cotton," Paarlberg said.
The many regulatory requirements determined by several ministries are
another cause for concern. "Once the law has been passed, every
relevant ministry must have a say, and this leads to delays," he added.
External Influences
Furthermore, Paarlberg argues that there are external factors that
act as obstacles to the use of GM: For example, foreign aid from Europe
has been a major hindrance as the European Union has a very
precautionary regulatory model.
As the majority of African countries were colonized by European
countries, "their first point of reference is [still] London or
Brussels, and they do not want to keep out of step with the practices
coming out of metropolitan Europe," according to Paarlberg.
Paarlberg further explains that many African countries look to
European institutions and authorities for technical assistance: "The
European Union is not helping build scientific capacity but regulatory
capacity that will keep out GMOs, like in Zambia where Norway has helped
build a good laboratory for the detection of GMOs."
Aid dependency has also, to a large extent, been a hurdle in the way
of GMOs. "The average country in Sub-Saharan Africa is four times as
aid-dependent as [any other country in] the rest of the developing
world," said Paarlberg.
According to Paarlberg, the UNEP and the Global Environment Facility,
under the Global Project for Development of National Biosafety
Frameworks, were very reluctant to support GM farming. Nongovernmental
organizations such as Greenpeace International are another reason for
the failure of adoption of biotechnology in Africa, as they run spirited
campaigns on the continent against GMOs.
Those against the new technology argue that the use of GMOs in
agriculture could have potential negative effects on the environment and
human health, as well as potential socioeconomic effects. The EU, which
has adopted a precautionary approach to GMOs, purchases five times more
farm commodities from Africa each year than does the US.
"In 2000, private European buyers stopped importing beef from
Namibia. In Zambia, in 2002, opposition to accepting GMO maize came from
export companies (Agriflora Ltd.) and from export-oriented farmers,"
Paarlberg said. The farmers are therefore not certain about what will
happen if they adopt GM crops.
Margaret Karembu, interim director of AfriCenter at the International
Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications, emphasizes
that information about biotechnology has not been communicated
effectively. "Science communication should make people understand that
it contributes to development so that they can appreciate it. It should
make people understand research results for informed decisions," she
told the meeting attendees.
She added, "Just like any other new development or product, to any
society there will be concerns, questions, and myths, and all these can
be countered with a proper campaign and promotion. The products of
biotechnology science always undergo rigorous scientific testing."
*This article was originally posted by the now defunct Islamonline.net on July 16, 2009. It was reproduced at https://globalfarmernetwork.org/africa-not-engaged-in-biotechnology-why/?login=failed&reason=empty_username
Ochieng’ Ogodo is a Nairobi-based science journalist whose works have been
published in various parts of the world including in Africa, the US and
Europe. He is the English-speaking Africa and Middle East region winner
for the 2008 Reuters-IUCN Media Awards for Excellence in Environmental
Reporting. He was the founding chairman of Kenya Environment and Science
Journalists Association (Kensja). He can be reached
at ochiengogodo@yahoo.com or ochiengogodo@hotmail.com.
[NAIROBI] African universities need to forge closer linkages with institutions of higher learning in Hong Kong for mutual academic benefits.
According to Professor Dennis Lo, President of Hong Academy of Sciences, there is the need to pick approaches suitable to institutions and centers of higher learning that get involved in collaborations.
Lo who is also an associate dean for research at the Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, says that such collaborations could be realized in areas such as students exchange programmes and joint research and development activities.
“That is a reasonable situation and in Hong Kong there is a studentship scheme which encourages students from abroad to join us. For instance, in my laboratory I have a student from Pakistan and I don’t see any reason why we would not extend that to our Africa colleagues,” said Lo.
According to Lo, it is also important to explore research collaborations between universities to allow access to the best scientific and engineering technologies in specific domains.
“With technology, it becomes cheaper as it goes. For instance, like in my area of DNA sequencing computers processes [using] slots and every eighteen months the processing power doubles at the same cost and actually DNA sequencing is faster than more slot for many years."
#Africa #HigherEducation #Collaboration #HongKong