Tanzania’s first-ever genetically-modified crop trial was planted only a 30-minute drive from the capital.

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A year ago the Tanzanian government relaxed the previous “strict liability” biosafety regime which had de-facto prevented any plant scientists from testing genetically engineered crops outside the lab. The “confined field trial” (CFT) we are about to visit is the result: the first-ever “GMO” outdoor trial in the country.

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The biosafety regulations are irksome, not least because genetically modified maize of the same type is already being widely distributed and commercially grown in neighboring South Africa.

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[T]he rationale for the project — to breed hybrid maize seeds genetically engineered with a gene to help them tolerate water-stress during the all-important flowering and seed-filling stage — is obvious to everyone. Conventionally bred drought-tolerant maize is already being distributed to farmers under the trade name “Drought TEGO.” But the GM variety — genetically “stacked” with the insect-resistance Bt gene, as well as the conventional drought trait — could be a game-changer in improving the resilience of smallholder farmers to droughts aggravated by climate change.

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“From the general appearances, we think the genetically modified drought-tolerant hybrids are going to do better than the non-genetically modified,” [WEMA’s Tanzania technical advisor, Dr. Alois Kullaya] tells me.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: Visiting Tanzania’s first-ever GMO crop trial