GM Crops Shouldn't Cause such a Mi-grain-e

Genetically modified (GM) crops has become commercially cultivated in Africa, in particular in South Africa, Burkina Faso, Egypt, and Sudan despite continued perturb concerning health risks. However, the ‘thirst for food’ In Africa has meant the continent will do anything and everything to improve crop yields and reduce hunger especially with the increasing risk of climate change threatening future food security. South Africa and Sudan are thought to be leading the way in the commercial cultivation of GMO crops in Africa since they are thought to recognise the need to embrace new technologies and produce faster maturing, disease- and drought-tolerant crops as a result of climate change pressures. 

  Figure 1: Sudan Commercial Crop Cultivation

Source: Alliance for Science

This blog post will discuss the commercial cultivation of GM crops focusing on South Africa in particular. However, initially let us look at the how the biotechnology works. 

 

Genetically Modified (GM) crops in Africa

 

Over the next 40 years, the population of Africa will increase by 93% (Otsuka et al., 2013) with the population of Africa comprising 25% of the world population by 2100 (Atkinson et al, 2015). Meanwhile, the food production in 31 of 53 African countries, food output has actually been declining (Paarlberg, 2006). Thus, there is increasing demand to commercialize biotechnology crops since 23.8% of Africa is malnourished (Atkinson et al, 2015).

 

However, only nine African countries have established commercial cultivation of GMO – South Africa, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Sudan and recently, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and Nigeria as shown in the map below (Osiemo, 2018; Akinbo et al., 2021).

Figure 2: African Countries Status with Commercialized Biotechnology crops

Source: Akinbo et al., 2021

The situation of commercialization of GM crops in South Africa

Commercialization of GMO crops started in South Africa with the cultivation of Bt cotton in 1997 followed by Bt yellow maize in 1998, Bt white maize in 2000 and soybean in 2001. This is a total of 2.73 million hectares of land under GM crop cultivation with biotech maize, soybean and cotton cultivated. GM crops account for 24% of yellow maize, 10% of white maize, 50% of soyabean and 85% of cotton production in the country (James, 2004). The image below shows Bt yellow and white maize.

Figure 2: Yellow and White (GMO) Maize

Source:ExportersIndia.com

Field experiments have proven that the yield of Bt yellow maize is 30% greater than conventional yellow maize (James, 2009). Thus, as Adenle (2011) states: 

 

‘Why should we fold our arms when many people are starving, and children are dying as a result of malnutrition, in Africa when there is an innovative technology to solve part of the problem?’

 

Effects production of GMO crops on food security in South Africa

 

GM crops have several advantages with the main traits incorporated into GM crops being specific herbicide tolerance, resistance to insect pests, vitamin and micronutrient fortification, drought tolerance, and disease resistance (Barfoot and Brookes, 2014; Akinbo et al., 2015). This will work to increase crop yields but also the nutritional content of food, decreasing food insecurity and improve human health (Azadi, 2016). Wu (2006) has proven that Bt technology decreases contamination levels of mycotoxins which is a main cause of cancer. Thus, this is one-way human health besides nutritional enhancement can benefit human health.  

 

This has been the case in South Africa with increased yields reported due to a decline in armyworm infestation that wipes out maize gardens across the country and continent, decreasing food insecurity. In addition to the nutritional benefits, farmers in South Africa benefit by adopting GM technology through increased farmer income from GM maize. GM maize, soybean and cotton generated US$67 million in farmer income in 2006 (Adenle, 2011). This allows farmers to invest in biotech projects further harvesting greater yields but from smaller quantities of land, reducing food scarcity. 

 

Since, the yields of crops are stagnating due to increasing occurrence of drought due to climate change and similarly soil fertility decreasing whilst population pressure and poverty is increasing, there is evermore need for commercialization of GM crops and ignore the ‘speculative propaganda’ (Agaba, 2019). Thus, production of GM crops would fill the gap between targets and conventional breeding yields. Adoption of GM technology would thus, do a great deal in reducing food insecurity and enhance farmer incomes, as seen in South Africa (Adenle, 2011).