African countries in the south of the Sahara have a lot to learn from South Africa’s successes in Genetically Modified (GM) plant agriculture. The southern African country appears poised for significant triumphs in its quest for greater food security, thanks to its embrace of agricultural biotechnology.
Its adoption of Bt white maize in 2001-2002 established South Africa as the first GM subsistence crop producer in the world. This particular decision has paid off dividends in the past two decades, and could serve as a shining example of what biotechnology can do to correct the continent’s oft-erratic maize production.
New research conducted by experts from various universities in the US and Europe shows that between 2001 and 2018, GM white maize has brought welfare benefits amounting to US$695 million in South Africa.
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The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) notes that in sub-Saharan Africa, there were 237 million undernourished people in 2017, a worrying figure indeed.
Given these and other concerns, the onus is on producers, agricultural scientists, and policymakers in the rest of the continent to pick applicable lessons from the South African success story, including adoption of GM technology where appropriate.
