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It’s an old proverb in these lands that since man has learned to shoot without missing, birds have learned to fly without perching — and the same is true with farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). As climate change becomes more of a reality, bringing uneven seasons, longer droughts and heavy…

Why are South Africa and Sudan ahead of every other country on the continent when it comes to biotech? The answer is simple. The nations realized early on that they needed to embrace new technologies to develop faster maturing and better yielding disease-resistant and drought-tolerant crop varieties to counter a…

Scientists, politicians and farmers are urging the government of Ghana to pass new laws that will strengthen the local seed industry and make improved seeds more available to farmers. Specifically, they are asking the government to re-introduce the Plant Breeders’ Bill, which is expected to help make the country more…

Though most African nations have been slow to commercialize genetically modified crops, students across the continent remain committed to earning advanced degrees in biotechnology. Ironically, Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, has become a hub for such students, though the country has yet to pass its own biosafety law, leaving its…

A debate on GMO labeling has emerged in Ghana as it prepares to release its first biotech crop. While some civil society groups are demanding mandatory labeling, scientists are urging caution. The issues raised in Ghana mirror those that have driven discussions around GM product labeling throughout the world. Ghana…

Ghanaian scientists have completed field trials on the pest-resistant Bt cowpea and will soon apply for commercial release of the country’s first genetically modified (GM) crop. The GM crop is expected to help farmers dramatically reduce their use of pesticides, while also enjoying better yields of this important staple food.

Ugandan scientists are accelerating their outreach to lawmakers to make them aware of improved crops like disease-resistant cassava, which farmers cannot grow until the nation adopts a biosafety law. Cassava, a staple food crop for residents of Eastern and Northern Uganda, has been plagued by cassava brown streak virus (CBSV),…

African countries and the Philippines have made significant progress in developing genetically modified (GMO) crops, adding impetus to the drive to adopt biotechnology as a tool for fighting food insecurity. These international strides in conducting research and experimental field trials of GM crops emerged in the fourth week of the Global…

Scientists are demonstrating the efficacy of plant biotechnology by taking Cornell Alliance for Science Global Leadership Fellows through the process of making genetically engineered crops. Misinformation about biotechnology among global communities has inspired scientists to open up their workstations to the Fellows, some of whom are non-scientists, to explain how…