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Pitting biotechnology against agroecology — as has been the case in a long-running debate around food and agriculture — is a fundamental error. Biotechnology is a set of tools that can be used to improve crops and animals, while agroecology is an approach to farming that has various…

Africa has a more urgent need than the rest of the world to adopt genetically modified organisms for agricultural improvement, says Prof. Eric Yirenkyi Danquah, founding director of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement(WACCI) at the University of Ghana. Challenges like climate change and population…

As Ghana considers approving its first genetically modified crop, a new report finds the country’s smallholder farmers are increasingly optimistic that GM crops hold sustainable solutions to low farm productivity and incomes. Researchers from the University for Development Studies in Kumasi surveyed 360 smallholder farmers across 10…

From scorching temperatures and devastating floods to continuous droughts and poor crop harvests, the heavy hand of climate change is too apparent to ignore in Africa. But though they are already feeling its effects, most Africans are not literate about the glaring climate crisis, according to…

Africa’s much-touted blue economy is primed for growth as the continent’s coastal and island nations tap into marine biotechnology and molecular aquaculture to support renewable energy, pharmaceuticals and other products. The global marine biotechnology market is expected to grow by US$2.5 billion between 2020-2024, progressing at a compound annual…

Science advocates in Africa and Asia reject claims that genetically modified (GM) crops have been hijacked by big companies from the West to promote “a neo-colonialist agenda.” Citing studies and the fact that Asian and African scientists are developing GM crops for their own countrymen, the science advocates said the…

African scientists are using the tools of biotechnology to boost the climate-resiliency and yields of the high-protein African yam bean. Scientists at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Genetic Resource Center are employing marker-assisted selection and other biotech tools, as well as conventional plant breeding, to add traits…

As China moves to expand production of genetically modified crops, it’s taking steps to counter pockets of GMO opposition that have stymied adoption of the technology. Though China was the first country to grow GM crops commercially, starting with virus-resistant tobacco plants in 1988, it has lagged behind other…

Our world is undergoing climate changes that have triggered a spate of calamitous disruptions on agricultural production and overall food security. From the devastations of tropical typhoons to droughts that are increasingly pervasive and severe, it appears that Nature is trumpeting her rather boisterous bid to furnish us…