Viewpoint: Ordinary African farmers should not be blocked from technologically-advanced agricultural solutions helping the rest of the world

Biotech is what African nations need to avert climate change and crop disease. Credit: Farming First
Biotech is what African nations need to avert climate change and crop disease. Credit: Farming First

Due to the onset of climate change we are likely to experience more harsh weather conditions and other farming challenges including floods, and crop diseases most of which we might not easily overcome as ordinary farmers without regular scientific interventions to provide solutions. Policy makers are expected to have more faith in agricultural research findings.

Besides the long drought making food production difficult there are crop pests and diseases that are steadily wiping out staple food crops such as sweet potatoes, cassava, bananas, and maize.

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Some countries in Africa including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, and South Africa, among others, are looking at biotechnology as one of the best approaches to the current agricultural problems.

But as you read this comment there are successful biotechnological solutions to some of the diseases killing off a number of our major food crops, discovered by our own scientists, but are not available to farmers because our policy makers have not decided yet whether or not to adopt biotechnology.

Graham Brookes, Director of PG Economics, has written,

We have seen for more than twenty years now how crop biotechnology adoption in developing countries has contributed to higher yields, more secure production, and increased incomes, greatly contributing to decreasing poverty, hunger and malnutrition in some regions of the globe most prone to these challenges.

This is an excerpt. Read the original post here

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