GM agricultural technologies for Africa

GM agricultural technologies for Africa
Author: Chambers, Judith A.
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 146
Release: 2014-09-29
Genre: Social Science
ISBN:

The African Development Bank (AfDB), in commissioning this report to be prepared by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), highlighted the need for a comprehensive, evidenced-based review of agricultural biotechnology in order to better understand its current status, issues, constraints, and opportunities for Africa. Agricultural biotechnology comprises several scientific techniques (genetic engineering, molecular marker-assisted breeding, the use of molecular diagnostics and vaccines, and tissue cul­ture) that are used to improve plants, animals, and microorganisms. However, in prepar­ing this desktop analysis, IFPRI has focused on genetic modification (GM) technologies in particular and on the agricultural context in which they are being applied, because GM technologies are at the center of the controversy about biotechnology’s role in Africa. In addition, because we have attempted to focus our review on peer-reviewed evidence and documented examples, the preponderance of data presented in the report is focused on genetically modified (also abbreviated GM) crops in use and under development, although we recognize the potential of the technology for livestock, fisheries, and forestry.

Genes for Africa

Genes for Africa
Author: Jennifer A. Thomson
Publisher: Juta and Company Ltd
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2002
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9781919713571

Jennifer Thomson separates fact from fiction and explains why and how GM crops can help us combat poverty, starvation and disease in the developing world, in a safe and responsible way. She explains the technology and looks at the differences and similarities between genetic modification, conventional plant breeding, and natural processes such as cross pollination and mutations. There are chapters devoted to controversial issues such as food safety (for GM crops and organically grown food), patents labelling, regulations and controls, and a section dealing with frequently-asked questions. It ends with a focus on Africa and possible future developments in GM technology. Technical terms are explained and appendices provide additional information on testing for allergens, horizontal gene transfer, and international food safety assessment documents. For those who wish to explore the subject further, it also provides a list of more than 60 web sites dealing with issues related to the GM debate.

Africa's Gene Revolution

Africa's Gene Revolution
Author: Matthew A. Schnurr
Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP
Total Pages: 277
Release: 2019-11-07
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0228000459

As development donors invest hundreds of millions of dollars into improved crops designed to alleviate poverty and hunger, Africa has emerged as the final frontier in the global debate over agricultural biotechnology. The first data-driven assessment of the ecological, social, and political factors that shape our understanding of genetic modification, Africa's Gene Revolution surveys twenty years of efforts to use genomics-based breeding to enhance yields and livelihoods for African farmers. Matthew Schnurr considers the full range of biotechnologies currently in commercial use and those in development - including hybrids, marker-assisted breeding, tissue culture, and genetic engineering. Drawing on interviews with biotechnology experts alongside research conducted with more than two hundred farmers across eastern, western, and southern Africa, Schnurr reveals a profound incongruity between the optimistic rhetoric that accompanies genetic modification technology and the realities of the smallholder farmers who are its intended beneficiaries. Through the lens of political ecology, this book demonstrates that the current emphasis on improved seeds discounts the geographic, social, ecological, and economic contexts in which the producers of these crops operate. Bringing the voices of farmers to the foreground of this polarizing debate, Africa's Gene Revolution contends that meaningful change will come from a reconfiguration not only of the plant's genome, but of the entire agricultural system.

Genetically modified crops in Africa

Genetically modified crops in Africa
Author: Falck-Zepeda, José Benjamin
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2013-10-02
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0896297950

A variable climate, political instability, and other constraints have limited agricultural development in African countries south of the Sahara. Genetically modified (GM) crops are one tool for enhancing agricultural productivity and food security despite such constraints. Genetically Modified Crops in Africa: Economic and Policy Lessons from Countries South of the Sahara investigates how this tool might be effectively used by evaluating the benefits, costs, and risks for African countries of adopting GM crops. The authors gather together studies on GM crops’ economic effects and impact on trade, how consumers view such crops, and other issues. They find that GM crops have had, on average, a positive economic effect in the nations where they were used and identify future steps for enhancing GM crop adoption’s positive effects. Promising policy initiatives include making biosafety regulations that do not make GM crop development prohibitively expensive, fostering intraregional trade in GM crops, and providing more and better information about GM crops to consumers who might currently be skeptical of them. These and other findings in Genetically Modified Crops in Africa indicate ways biotechnology can contribute to economic development in Africa south of the Sahara.

Genetically Engineered Crops

Genetically Engineered Crops
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 607
Release: 2017-01-28
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309437385

Genetically engineered (GE) crops were first introduced commercially in the 1990s. After two decades of production, some groups and individuals remain critical of the technology based on their concerns about possible adverse effects on human health, the environment, and ethical considerations. At the same time, others are concerned that the technology is not reaching its potential to improve human health and the environment because of stringent regulations and reduced public funding to develop products offering more benefits to society. While the debate about these and other questions related to the genetic engineering techniques of the first 20 years goes on, emerging genetic-engineering technologies are adding new complexities to the conversation. Genetically Engineered Crops builds on previous related Academies reports published between 1987 and 2010 by undertaking a retrospective examination of the purported positive and adverse effects of GE crops and to anticipate what emerging genetic-engineering technologies hold for the future. This report indicates where there are uncertainties about the economic, agronomic, health, safety, or other impacts of GE crops and food, and makes recommendations to fill gaps in safety assessments, increase regulatory clarity, and improve innovations in and access to GE technology.

Africa's Gene Revolution

Africa's Gene Revolution
Author: Matthew A. Schnurr
Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP
Total Pages: 277
Release: 2019-11-07
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0228000459

As development donors invest hundreds of millions of dollars into improved crops designed to alleviate poverty and hunger, Africa has emerged as the final frontier in the global debate over agricultural biotechnology. The first data-driven assessment of the ecological, social, and political factors that shape our understanding of genetic modification, Africa's Gene Revolution surveys twenty years of efforts to use genomics-based breeding to enhance yields and livelihoods for African farmers. Matthew Schnurr considers the full range of biotechnologies currently in commercial use and those in development - including hybrids, marker-assisted breeding, tissue culture, and genetic engineering. Drawing on interviews with biotechnology experts alongside research conducted with more than two hundred farmers across eastern, western, and southern Africa, Schnurr reveals a profound incongruity between the optimistic rhetoric that accompanies genetic modification technology and the realities of the smallholder farmers who are its intended beneficiaries. Through the lens of political ecology, this book demonstrates that the current emphasis on improved seeds discounts the geographic, social, ecological, and economic contexts in which the producers of these crops operate. Bringing the voices of farmers to the foreground of this polarizing debate, Africa's Gene Revolution contends that meaningful change will come from a reconfiguration not only of the plant's genome, but of the entire agricultural system.

Biotechnology, Agriculture, and Food Security in Southern Africa

Biotechnology, Agriculture, and Food Security in Southern Africa
Author: Steven Were Omamo
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 317
Release: 2005-01-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0896297373

This book brings together experts from within and outside Africa to discuss the current status of biotechnology in southern Africa, the conceptual framework for multistakeholder dialogues, the political and ethical issues surrounding biotechnology, food safety and consumer issues, biosafety, intellectual property rights, and trade involving genetically modified foods.

Pathways to Productivity

Pathways to Productivity
Author: Kristin Wedding
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 40
Release: 2013-10-16
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1442227885

This report provides an overview of the debate in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda over genetically modified (GM) crops and their potential role in improving food security among smallholder farmers. Specifically, in each country, it examines regulatory structures, science and research capacity, communication and public opinion, the views of smallholder farmers, and the forecast for adoption of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Additionally, it examines regional regulatory efforts and potential trade impacts. Finally, the report provides a set of policy recommendations targeted toward the U.S. government, focus country governments, the donor community, and nongovernmental organizations.

The Regulation of Genetically Modified Organisms

The Regulation of Genetically Modified Organisms
Author: Luc Bodiguel
Publisher:
Total Pages: 448
Release: 2010
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0199542481

The regulation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) continues to generate controversy. On the one hand, they are actively promoted by the biotechnology industry as vital to ensuring food security. Yet, on the other hand, consumer resistance persists, not least in the European Union, and such lack of confidence extends not just to GM food itself but also to the regulatory regime, where legal issues are inextricably linked with economics and politics. This edited collection provides a novel contribution to the ongoing debate, recognizing that the legislative environment is complicated by forces as varied as national public opinion and world trade commitments. The book is divided into four parts. The first of these addresses the influence in this context of both civil society and economic imperatives. The second part is directed more specifically to the measures that have been implemented in the European Union, considering multi-level governance, wider aspects of food law, co-existence with conventional and organic crops, and environmental liability. The third part is comparative in focus, with chapters covering the diverse regimes implemented in Africa, Australia, North America and South America. The book concludes with chapters on world trade and international considerations, including analysis of the Biotech case.