>From: "Michele Simon"
>Reply-To: michele@informedeating.org
>To: Community Food Security Coalition
>Subject: GM Food and Hunger in Africa
>Date: Wed, 7 Aug 2002 12:27:51 -0700
>
> Published on Wednesday, August 7, 2002 by Inter Press Service
> Ethical Dilemma over GM Crops
> 'A Hungry Country Will Eat GM Organisms'
>
> by Katy Salmon
>
> NAIROBI, Aug 6 - Hungry countries around the world are facing a
>difficult ethical dilemma as a result of the widespread use of genetically
>modified (GM) crops.
>
> As Francis Nthuku of Biotechnology Trust Africa puts it: ‘'Do you
>prefer to die of hunger now or eat and die later?
>
> ‘'A hungry country does not have a choice at times. A hungry country
>will eat GM organisms,'' he says.
>
> The recent stand-off between Zimbabwe and the United States over the
>use of GM food aid has brought this issue into sharp focus.
>
> Zimbabwe has a long-standing policy against GM food on the grounds of
>human safety and the potential threat that GM crop contamination could pose
>for the local environment. But with over 6 million of its people facing
>famine, the Zimbabwean government has agreed to accept GM maize from the
>United States on the condition it is milled.
>
> Dr. Ellie Osir works with the International Center of Insect
>Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Nairobi, Kenya, studying the impact of GM
>crops. He explains the risks that poor countries are exposing themselves to
>when they accept GM food aid.
>
> ‘'African farmers don't buy new seeds every season. They simply
>recycle. If food aid comes in as grain, people are actually going to plant
>these grains,'' he says.
>
> ‘'Once you plant it, you have introduced it without doing the all the
>necessary studies,'' he explains.
>
> ICIPE are currently testing a GM crop called BT maize, produced by
>Monsanto. The maize has been genetically altered to produce the bacillus
>thuringiensis (BT) bacteria, a toxin which kills insects.
>
> Traditionally BT was sprayed on crops, like a pesticide. When the BT
>gene is put inside the plant, it continuously produces the toxin itself. BT
>maize has long been used in the United States and, more recently, in South
>Africa.
>
> But that does not mean it is safe for Kenya, where it must first win
>approval from the National Bio-safety Committee.
>
> Because BT maize continuously produces the toxin, unlike with spraying
>where it is soon washed off, insects linked to the plant can rapidly develop
>resistance to the toxin.
>
> ‘'It means that, for example in Kenya, if you introduce BT maize,
>within six to 10 years resistance will have spread almost everywhere. A
>product that was useful when sprayed in the traditional way becomes
>completely useless,'' explains Osir.
>
> In the developed world, many strategies are used to delay resistance,
>such as interspersing GM crops with normal ones. But the farming systems in
>Africa are totally different, with millions of small-scale farmers tilling
>just a quarter of an acre of land.
>
> ‘'You cannot tell them to plant this field with GM crops, the next
>field to leave GM crops out,'' says Osir.
>
> Under laboratory conditions, ICIPE have already found resistance
>developing in insects over a few generations. This does not take long as
>insects only live for a matter of months.
>
> Ideally, these risk assessment studies should be carried out under
>field conditions, but it is too dangerous.
>
> ‘'We cannot use the real thing because of the potential risks of it
>escaping. If you do it in the field, it's gone; you can't call it back. It
>will be too late,'' Osir explains.
>
> Another worry is that BT maize might kill beneficial insects other
>than the specific pests that it is targeting.
>
> ‘'If it kills the natural enemies of the pests for which it is
>intended then you have a problem because BT could interfere with the food
>chain,'' says Osir.
>
> It is important that each country tests GM crops itself because some
>effects are locale specific.
>
> ‘'You have to look at a particular ecological zone. A lot of studies
>have been done in the US. In Africa there's hardly anything. I think a lot
>of studies are required in Africa under different ecological areas to really
>see whether there's a risk,'' suggests Osir.
>
> ‘'I think in Africa there's not that much awareness about this issue.
>A lot needs to be done. People have to make informed choices,'' he says.
>
> Genetic pollution is another risk, where pollen travels by wind and
>fertilizes neighboring crops.
>
> A group of Canadian organic farmers have launched a lawsuit against
>biotech giants Monsanto and Aventis seeking compensation for damages caused
>by genetically modified ‘canola' they say is blowing into their fields,
>contaminating their crops and their seed supply, and driving away
>premium-paying customers, most of whom are in Europe.
>
> One reason Zimbabwe is so scared of GM maize is because the grain
>could jeopardize its own crops and its European export market where GM food
>is strictly controlled.
>
> Zimbabwe is also concerned that the GM maize could contain a
>terminator gene, which could pollute natural varieties. This means that
>seeds cannot germinate and be recycled. New seeds have to be bought.
>
> For small-scale farmers this is another potential drawback of GM
>crops.
>
> ‘'Resource-poor farmers will have a problem. They will have to have
>the money to go and buy this. Seed technology is commercially driven. It is
>not intended to be given for free. Somebody will need to recoup their
>investment.
>
> ‘'There is always that risk that the whole seed industry is controlled
>by just a few companies and they could fix prices. They could do whatever
>they want,'' warns Osir.
>
> Despite the risks, we cannot afford to ignore the potential benefits
>of GM crops.
>
> Stem borers can destroy up to 50 percent of maize crops in Kenya. If
>BT maize is introduced, farmers could double their yields.
>
> Tissue culture bananas and sweet potatoes have proven a great success
>with Kenyan farmers because of their high yields. The University of Nairobi
>has also used tissue culture technology -- where crops are cleaned of
>disease and yield improved -- to produce disease-free citrus.
>
> ‘'Like any new technology, people will always be uncertain about the
>possible dangers. There's no technology that is absolutely risk free.
>Biotechnology could have risks,'' says Francis Nanga'ayo, a scientist with
>Kenya Agricultural Research Institution (KARI).
>
> ‘'The way to address this is not to go into hysterical debate where
>people say, ‘biotechnology is bad', period. It's good for people to talk in
>a balanced way, where people can see the science of it and the ethics of it,
>'' he advises.
>
> ‘'Once there is scientific capacity to find out whether GMOs are
>dangerous, I see no problem. Scientists should be allowed to investigate and
>then tell the consumers,'' he says.
>
> Kenya has guidelines for the production of genetically modified
>materials which were drawn up by the government, the National Council of
>Science and Technology and other stakeholders. These guidelines are
>implemented by the National Bio-safety Committee made up of experts in
>various fields.
>
> A bio-safety bill has been drafted and is pending to go into
>parliament.
>
> Other African countries are at a similar stage -- finding themselves
>ill-equipped to deal with the GM issue.
>
> ‘'The government has yet to finalize the policy on GM organisms in the
>country vis-a-vis imports or growing of such materials, Zambian permanent
>secretary for information, David Kashweka, told UN Integrated Regional
>Information Network (IRIN).
>
> ‘'Our position on genetically modified foods is that they should not
>be allowed to be consumed in the country without knowing fully the
>implications and consequences thereof,'' he said.
>
> Unfortunately, when your people are starving, there is little choice.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>Michele Simon, JD, MPH
>Founder and Director
>Center for Informed Food Choices
>www.informedeating.org
>
>PO Box 16053
>Oakland, CA 94610
>(510) 465-0322
>michele@informedeating.org
>
>
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