The Test-Tube Debate - ECA to Africa: This Boat You Don’t Want to Miss

Africa missed out on the green revolution and almost failed to catch on to the digital revolution, but this one, this genetic innovation must not be allowed to slip past the continent, says KY Amoako of biotech foods.

Amoako, who heads the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, has been urging African leaders not to turn their backs on genetically modified crops because they could prove Africa’s saviour.

"Biotechnology has potential," he says.

Amoako’s team has released a report – ‘Harnessing Technologies for Sustainable Development’ which, while not advocating unquestioning support for the continent’s use of biotechnology, says that the innovation can overcome Africa’s serious problems of agricultural under-production and consequent hunger.

Biotech offers one way of growing more hardy crops and of scaling up production. The report notes that Africa depends heavily on agriculture, which contributes 30 percent to the continent’s gross domestic product (GDP) and provides 70 percent of its jobs. As a result, any technology that increases the production of food and minimises the exploitation of marginal lands and forests, can benefit the continent.

However, it warns that the expected benefits of biotechnology will only become a reality if these technologies are relevant to Africa, are pro-poor and are handled with caution.

The report also concedes that most African countries are presently not equipped to deal with the potential risk the technology could pose to human and animal health and the environment. It recommends that they should try to ensure biotechnology research begins to look at the continent’s crops and health problems and establish national regulatory institutions to assess and manage the risks associated with the technology.

BioWatch South Africa, a non-governmental organisation which is opposed to genetic engineering, is concerned about the report’s recommendations. BioWatch spokesperson, Rachel Wynberg points out that biotechnology is a broad term, that can include sustainable farming methods that have been used for hundreds of years like selectively breeding cattle. Bio-engineering, however, involves bringing together different animals and species to create “better” products.

“What has happened at the WSSD is that there has been a wholesale condemnation of genetic engineering. The technology has not delivered benefits to Africa and will not for the foreseeable future. The report is out of line with that position,” says Wynberg.

Other activists argue that Amoako is looking for the wrong solutions. Simpler answers for Africa include better land tenure and governance, as well as the harnessing of traditional knowledge, which often manages the environment better.