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African countries urged to embrace new breeding techniques in the fight against food insecurity
The first edition of the International Symposium on Agricultural Transformation and Biotech Crops in Africa (ISATBCA) took place on June 2, 2022, at the West Africa Center for Crop Improvement (WACCI) premises. Some of the participants at the International Symposium on Agricultural Transformation and Biotech Crops in Africa in…
United Kingdom’s precision breeding law unlocks key technologies to improve food security
On March 23, 2023, the United Kingdom passed the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill, a meaningful step towards securing the Island’s food security. This law is a significant step that will allow British farmers to grow disease and drought-resistant crops, reduce the use of pesticides and fertilizers, and…
How European Union restrictions fueled anti-GMO voices and hunger in Global South, and mainly Africa
The year was 2002, and extreme hunger in Africa threatened over 15 million people. The United States allowed the affected African countries to import food aid to help needy people. This gesture of kindness was met with hesitation and denial because the food imports contained genetically modified organisms…
Stakeholders converge in Ghana to deliberate on using new techniques to solve global food crisis
Global hunger and malnutrition are at crisis levels, with the number of people who are hungry today more than double that of 2020. More than 345 million people are estimated to experience severe food insecurity in 2023 alone, according to the World Food Program (WFP) The WFP also…
Fact: Genetically modified crops safe for the environment, farmers and the consumers
I have been involved with public education about Genetically Engineered (GE also known as GMO) crops and food for 25 years. Reading today’s statements from non-governmental organizations that oppose GE crop technology, time appears to have stopped in 1999. This technology has been very successful in many countries for almost…
Scientists say East Africa’s farmers need improved seeds to counter pests and effects of climate change
About 12 kilometers from Uganda’s Kampala City, along the Bombo-Gulu Highway, fleshy and dark-green banana plants thrive on a farm with a perimeter wall. “These plants are bio-fortified, are rich in Vitamin A, and are high-yielding,” said Dr Priver Namanya Bwesigye, the head of Uganda’s banana research program at…
Nations agree on a compromise for biodiversity, what happens next is up to all of us
Around 200 nations attended the 15th Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal at the end of December 2022. The event boasted around 16,000 participants from governments, UN and international organizations, Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs), non-governmental organizations, academia, and the private sector. The…
Uganda scientists push for adoption of GM crops as anti-biotechnology activists spread misinformation
Even though GMOs have been scientifically proven to be safe and would be an invaluable component of Uganda’s food security strategy, they continue to be a target of attack by politicians and civil society groups. Uganda, ironically, has the largest number of GM crops under test at…
African scientists urge governments to invest in appropriate regulatory mechanisms for biotech products
African scientists urge governments to invest in appropriate regulatory mechanisms for biotech products African scientists are urging governments across the continent to invest in appropriate regulatory structures and monitoring mechanisms for crops and animals produced using biotechnology. They want to see more investments in laboratories that can help appropriately detect…