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G8 SUMMIT: Africa Needs Food Security, Not Experimental Crops
By Stefania Bianchi
BRUSSELS, Jul 1, 2005 (IPS) - As world leaders prepare for the Group of 8 (G8)
summit next week, a leading global consumer body is warning that
genetically modified food is not the ''miracle solution'' to world hunger
and malnutrition.
While large biotechnology corporations, and some governments, try to
promote genetically modified (GM) crops as a solution to food shortages
and malnutrition, Consumers International (CI) insists there is no
evidence that GM crops will solve those problems.
''Genetic modification will not solve world hunger. The supposed benefits
of GM have not been proven to outweigh potential risks to the
environment, human and animal health. It would make more sense to put
scarce money in other technologies that are more ecologically and
economically suited to poor farmers and consumers,'' Amadou Kanoute,
director of CI in Africa said in a statement Wednesday.
London-based CI, which works to put consumer rights and social justice at
the centre of the international development agenda, is calling for G8
leaders to focus on food security in Africa. It warns that claims made by
biotechnology companies are detracting attention from real causes of
hunger in Africa, such as the lack of access to and distribution of food,
as well as internal conflict and poor infrastructure.
CI says African farmers are faced with unfavourable international trade
rules and although they are keen to improve farming methods, the use of
GM crops could do more damage than good.
GM crops are created by inserting genes from different plants or even
animals into a species to provide it with special attributes, such as
resistance to pesticides. The process is completely different from
conventional breeding techniques, and has yet to be proven safe.
The first major GM food was introduced on the market in the mid-1990s.
Since then, GM strains of maize, soybean, rapeseed and cotton have been
marketed and traded nationally and internationally in several areas. GM
varieties of papaya, potato, rice, squash, sugar beet and tomato have
also been released in some countries.
The production of GM crops has increased significantly over the last
decade, but the issue has provoked bitter controversy. Supporters say
they will increase yields, but opponents argue that they could have
unpredictable health risks.
Other major concerns are increased control of the food chain by
corporations, and misleading claims about solving food supply problems
and about the benefits of GM crops to farmers, CI says.
At the heart of the problem, adds the organisation, is the fact that GM
crops are promoted with ''aggressive zeal'' by biotech corporations,
raising the hopes and expectations of farmers and communities.
Unfortunately, CI says, many of the proposed ''miracle solutions'' end in
failure.
''African countries are concerned about bio safety, and the consequences
of introducing GM food without proper, independent, human safety
evaluations and environmental assessments,'' David Cuming, GM campaigns
manager with CI, told IPS on Thursday.
''At present, African countries do not have the proper regulatory
framework in place to cope with GM. Yet they are being pushed very hard
by the biotech corporations, and the American government, to introduce it
quickly,'' he added.
CI says GM food is also poorly suited to African farmers in part because
it is expensive.
''In Africa, farmers save their seeds to use the following year. When
they use GM seeds they are forced to buy them each year so destroying
their food production systems. This puts control of the food chain in the
hands of a small number of unscrupulous biotech corporations,'' Cuming
said.
Instead of spending millions of dollars on what CI calls ''a grandiose
biological experiment without a clear idea of how it is supposed to help
African consumers'', the group says governments and corporations should
seek inspiration from alternative solutions.
''A large part of food shortages has to do with food distribution and
access. Despite what the U.S. government wants people to believe, GM food
is not the only food available. If other food is available, shouldn't
Africans be able to choose?'' Cuming asked.
Rather than discussing the possibility of using GM foods in Africa - a
topic that is expected to be included in next week's talks - CI says G8
leaders should look at ways to develop sustainable farming as a potential
solution to the hunger crisis in Africa.
''This is about making the most of resources that farmers have in order
to end poverty in rural areas. There have been several successful
sustainable farming developments in Africa, including pest control for
maize and drought tolerance in rice,'' Cuming said.
CI adds that to support African consumers, G8 leaders should act to make
markets work more effectively, involve consumers in the development
process to ensure their needs are met and commit funding to implement the
recommendations of the Commission for Africa.
In March the commission's report proposed radical steps governments can
take to support the development of Africa, such as doubling aid, debt
cancellation and trade reform.
(END)
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