Farm Radio Weekly

As this story demonstrates, the subject of genetically modified, or transgenic, plants is at the centre of a heated debate across the African continent. While those in favour of biotechnology are convinced that GMOs will help guarantee food supplies, even in times of drought, many people advocate against their use, maintaining that the impact of GMOs on human health and the environment is still unknown.

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety – a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity – deals with living modified organisms (LMOs). The protocol came into effect on September 11, 2003. Signatories to the protocol have agreed to take a precautionary approach in the transfer, handling, and use of LMOs, particularly during transboundary movement.

You can view the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in its entirety on the website for the Convention on Biological Diversity: http://www.cbd.int/

To see the status of GMO use in countries that have ratified the Cartagena Protocol, you may visit the website of the African Biotechnology Stakeholders Forum: http://www.absfafrica.org/pages/biotech_status.html

The Biosafety Clearing-House website offers a searchable database of laws and regulations concerning GMOs in various countries: http://bch.cbd.int/database/laws/

If you are interested in researching a story about GMOs in your area, you may wish to consider the following questions:
-What laws does your country have to regulate biosafety and biosecurity?
-What information about GMOs is available to farmers in your area? Who provides this information? Are farmers aware of their rights in relation to GMO use?
-Are there NGOs, industry groups, or other organizations in your area advocating for or against GMOs?

You may also wish to review these news articles on GMOs:
-Africa: New round in the GM crop debate: http://allafrica.com/stories/200802130917.html
-Kenya: Farmers planting maize that poses threat to humans: http://allafrica.com/stories/200803240343.html-Introduction des OGM dans l’agriculture: des producteurs de I’UEMOA farouchement opposes (in French only): http://www.lefaso.net/spip.php?article25860

And here are some other web resources on the subject of GMOs:

-Audio from an interview with Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Muta Maathai on transgenic crops: http://www.interworldradio.net/audiofiles/Kenya_GM_Maathai_Interview_hi.mp3
-A biography of this renowned environmentalist:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai

-A list of arguments for and against GMOs, prepared by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
-Arguments for: http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/focus/2003/gmo7.htm
-Arguments against: http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/focus/2003/gmo8.htm
-Another article from the FAO entitled GMOs and Human Health:
http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x9602e/x9602e06.htm#P0_0

-A report by the NGO GRAIN on the consequences of genetically modified crops for small-scale African farmers: http://www.grain.org/briefings/?id=12

-The website of the NGO Biowatch South Africa: http://www.biowatch.org.za/

-Finally, you can test your knowledge of GMOs with a quiz developed by the Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD) (in French only): http://www.cirad.fr/fr/web_savoir/curieux/quiz/ogm/quizogm.html

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