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GMOs: Scarecrow and the irony of a farmer’s hoe
The advent of climate change, coupled with new plant pests and diseases, has worsened the plight of Ghanaian farmers, relegating them to remain in poverty as their crop yields and incomes plunge. Modern, climate-smart agricultural technologies, such as genetically modified crops (GMOs), can help combat these threats. However, scare-mongering and…
Why do academics in the Global North focus on Burkina Faso’s problems with GMOs?
In October 2017, I took a trip to Burkina Faso from Accra, Ghana — a journey that lasted a little over an hour by flight. As a reporter who writes extensively about agricultural biotechnology in Africa, it felt quite shameful that I hadn’t visited that country to personally understand what…
Kenya moves full speed ahead with GM cotton
The impressive performance of genetically modified (GM) insect-resistant cotton on some Kenyan farms has prompted the government to permit full commercialization of the crop. Although the first Bt cotton crop has yet to be harvested, farmers growing it on demonstration plots have observed a high germination rate, early maturation and…
Legal challenge fails to stop Kenya’s food imports
A Greenpeace-endorsed lawsuit to prevent Kenya’s government from importing maize to ease predicted food shortages has been rendered moot due to a typographical error. Raising the specter of food safety, Kenyan activist Okiya Omtatah had filed suit to stop the imports, winning a temporary stay from the nation’s High Court…
Kenya picks 1,000 farmers to grow GMO cotton
The Kenyan government has identified 1,000 farmers who will receive the country’s first genetically modified (GM) cotton seeds. The farmers will begin cultivating the seeds, which have been improved with a Bt gene to provide inherent resistance to the devastating African bollworm pest, in commercial demonstration plots across Kenya this…
Kenya’s Bt cotton approval opens door to other GMO crops
Kenyan scientists and farm leaders are welcoming President Uhuru Kenyatta’s approval of insect-resistant, genetically modified Bt cotton for commercial use, saying it opens the door to other GM crops. Though yesterday’s Cabinet resolution approving Bt cotton does not specifically address Kenya’s 2012 ban on GM crops, the moratorium is essentially…
Kenya demo plots show GMO maize resists insects, increases yields
Demonstration plots in Kenya show that genetically modified (GM) maize varieties are more effective in controlling insect attacks than their conventional counterparts — without the use of pesticides. As a result of the pest protection provided by the Bt gene, the GM maize outperformed conventional varieties three-fold per hectare, according…
Will Kenya lift its GMO ban as its agriculture falters?
Some Kenyan scientists and policy-makers are viewing the Ministry of Health’s recent statement on genetically modified (GM) crops as an opening to completely lift the country’s GMO ban. Scientists should now move with urgency to allow for the continuation of research and compilation of evidence to support applications of…
Kenya field trial shows Bt cotton boosts yields four-fold
As Kenya harvests its national performance trials of genetically modified (GM) pest-resistant Bt cotton, preliminary results show it boosts yields four-fold over conventional varieties. Upon harvesting the field trial planted at Mwea in Kenya’s Central region, researchers determined that the Bt cotton yields 6.1 tonnes per hectare. By comparison,…