Kenya, Uganda and many other African countries had the chance to follow South Africa’s example of adopting genetically engineered (GE) crops….The researchers report, if Kenya had adopted GE corn in 2006…between 440 and 4000 lives could theoretically have been saved. Similarly, Uganda had the possibility in 2007 to introduce the black sigatoka resistant banana, thereby potentially saving between 500 and 5500 lives over the past decade.
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The calculation model the authors used includes economic benefits for producers and consumers as well as the benefits of reduced malnutrition among subsistence farm-household often not explicitly considered in previous studies.The authors also consider the uncertainty policy makers face caused by contradicting statements from lobby groups…
“Reducing the approval time of genetically modified crops results in generating economic gains, potentially contributing to reducing malnutrition and saving lives, and can be an inexpensive strategy for reaching the UN Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating malnutrition by 2030, Justus Wesseler says. “But this might also be important for Europe as it reduces migration.”
[Read the full study here]
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: Unjustified delays in approving biotech crops take thousands of lives, say researchers
