GM crops: the way forward or a fantasy?

The use of GMO crops, or genetically modified organisms, is one of the most controversial area of agriculture in the 21st century: the EU is against it, while it is largely adopted in the US. In Africa, only 4 countries - Burkina Faso, Egypt, South Africa and Sudan - have legalised the sale of GMO crops before (Mabaya et al., 2015). 

Uganda initially passed the National Biotechnology and Biosafety Bill 2012 in 2017, which would have given a clearer direction for GMO research, only for President Museveni to decline the bill, citing lack of clarity in the scope of genetic modifications. This happened again in 2021. This is in spite of the success of GM trials for disease-resistant bananas, cassava and maize. 

Video of the main considerations in agreement and against allowing GMO crops in Uganda.

This is in stark contrast to Kenya, which is both importing and conducting research on GMO crops (Mmbandao, 2023). However, there still remains a strong negative perception of GMOs among Kenyans (Oloo, et al., 2020). 

These are the main benefits of GMO crops:

• Disease, pest or drought resistance help farmers adapt to climate change, reducing the risks of famine. 
• Reduced pesticide usage
• Increased agricultural productivity to feed a booming population and boost the economy

Main drawbacks:

• Potential mixing of GMO and indigenous gene pool, threating native biodiversity
  
• Unknown effects on human health
• Inequitable access to GMO crops, especially smallholder farmers (Kedisso et al., 2022)
• Overeliance on external corporations for seeds
  

My personal stance is that GMOs alone is unlikely to solve the food insecurity in both Kenya and Uganda. Rather, a combination with other strategies such as agroforestry, indigenous farming methods and irrigation would help increase adaptive capacity among smallholder farmers. This would be especially important for the drier parts of the country; during my stay in Uganda, a mild drought caused significant crop failures in the area south of Kasiisi. 

Serious plastic pollution in one of the villages. The harshness of the dry season is visible by how little grass there is in the foreground, and the lack of trees. Photo: Yi Xi Kang.

And with that, I have come to the end of my blog posts. The reason why I chose to end with GMO crops is because it ties in to the importance of political will. It is instrumental for the successful implementation of any strategy to improve development, including food and water security issues (Wambugu, 2014). Poor public education and lack of communication can further impede the implementation of any strategy (Mabaya et al., 2015; Wafula & Clark, 2005). Most importantly, as the demand for food and water continues to grow, the Ugandan and Kenyan governments need to ensure that the benefits of development is equitable and that every citizen benefits. 

On my last day in Uganda, I visited the Entebbe Botanical Gardens, where I walked along the shores of Lake Victoria. It was such a mesmerising sight that I forgot humans have been living around the lake for millennia. I hope it can support millions more lives.

The shores of Lake Victoria. This was merely one corner of the lake.

 

 

References

European Parliament (2015). Eight things you should know about GMOs. Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20151013STO97392/eight-things-you-should-know-about-gmos (Accessed 23 Dec 2023).

Kedisso, G. E., Barro, N., Chimphepo, L., Elagib, T., Gidado, R., Mbabazi, R., Oloo, B., Maredia, K. (2022). Crop biotechnology and smallholder Farmers in Africa. Genet Modif Plants Beyond. 107:27.

Mabaya, E., Fulton, J., Simiyu-Wafukho, S., & Nang’ayo, F. (2015). Factors influencing adoption of genetically modified crops in Africa. Development Southern Africa, 32(5), 577–591.

Masiga, C. W. (2017). Uganda has got a good biotechnology law that will allow the development of safe GMOs. Available at: https://sabunyofarm.com/tag/gmos/ (Accessed 23 Dec 2023).

Mmbando, G. S. (2023). The legal aspect of the current use of genetically modified organisms in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. GM Crops & Food, 14(1), 1–12.

Money and Markets Uganda (2022). Should Uganda Embrace GMOs. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XSVW1CMFRQ (Accessed 23 Dec 2023).

Monitor (2021). Museveni declines to sign GMO bill into law. Available at: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/museveni-declines-to-sign-gmo-bill-into-law-1732998 (Accessed 23 Dec 2023).

Oloo, B., Maredia, K., & Mbabazi, R. (2020). Advancing adoption of genetically modified crops as food and feed in Africa: The case of Kenya. African Journal of Biotechnology, 19(10), 694–701.

Parliament of the Republic of Uganda (2018). Parliament approves GMO Bill. Available at: https://www.parliament.go.ug/news/2968/parliament-approves-gmo-bill (Accessed 23 Dec 2023).

Parliament of the Republic of Uganda (2022). Bill prohibiting GMOs in the offing. Available at: https://www.parliament.go.ug/news/6236/bill-prohibiting-gmos-offing (Accessed 23 Dec 2023).

Route to Food (2019). GMOs: The right to food and the right to know. Available at: https://routetofood.org/gmos-the-right-to-food-and-the-right-to-know/ (Accessed 23 Dec 2023).

Sunrise (2017). What next after passing of the biosafety law? Available at: https://sunrise.ug/news/201710/what-next-after-passing-of-the-biosafety-law.html (Accessed 23 Dec 2023).

USFDA (2022). GMO Crops, Animal Food, and beyond. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/food/agricultural-biotechnology/gmo-crops-animal-food-and-beyond (Accessed 23 Dec 2023).

Wambugu, F. M. (2014). Chapter 1: The Importance of Political Will in Contributions of Agricultural Biotechnology Towards Economic Growth, Food and Nutritional Security in Africa. In Wambugu, F. M. & Kamanga, D. (eds) Biotechnology in Africa: Emergence, Initiatives and Future. Springer: Switzerland, pp. 1–11.