Will the issues related to drought and food security in Southern Africa push the approach to biotechnology and biosafety in the region to change? The El Niño-induced drought that is affecting most of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries may spark further debate over the safety of GM crops to ensure that enough maize is imported into the region to avert widespread hunger.
At present many of the Southern African countries have a ban on growing and importing GM grains including Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia.
The situation in Zimbabwe highlights the confusion and controversy with GM crops in some African countries. Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made has, over the years, stated on numerous occasions that the importation and production of GMOs is banned due to their risks to human health, agriculture and the environment. Whilst this ban was to some extent workable when imports of unprocessed maize (corn) were required as Zimbabwe was able to import non-GM maize mainly from its neighbour, Zambia. However, at the same time, many processed food products are imported from South Africa where GM maize has been grown and utilized in the food chain for 15 years. It is estimated that 80 percent of the imported processed foods on the shelves in Zimbabwe’s supermarkets contain ingredients that have been genetically modified. This means that Zimbabweans have been consuming GMO containing foods for years with no affect to human health. The same situation exists in Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania.
Now under widespread drought conditions in the region there isn’t enough non-GM grain available for Zimbabwe to import from its neighbours. What are the options now for countries like Zimbabwe? Under the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) guidelines on GMOs, it is clear that each country in the region has the right to determine whether or not they will embrace GM crops or not. The guidelines also advise that drought conditions provide special circumstances and each affected country may have to use food aid which may contain GMOs.
In the past Zimbabwe has used GM grains imported from countries such as South Africa, USA or Canada for food aid making sure it was milled before distribution so it could not be grown in the country. Experts have warned the Zimbabwean government that the country should consider changing its view on GMOs as there are no adverse safety or health concerns that have been detected over the last 15-20 years. Zimbabwean agricultural expert and economist Eddie Cross has said GM varieties yield better and were often of better quality and more commercially attractive.
Cross says that unless farmers in Zimbabwe are allowed free choice to use GM varieties they will be unable to compete and the local population will be forced to pay higher prices for their food. This statement is supported by a recent study that showed on average GM technology increased yields by 21 percent and that GM crops reduced pesticide quantity by 37 percent and pesticide cost by 39 percent.
In severe drought conditions Zambia refused the donation of food aid in 2002 if it contained GMOs due to health and safety concerns. However, the Zambian Higher Education Minister Michael Kaingu told Parliament in December 2015 that the country had recognized that modern biotechnology has advanced and that as a nation Zambia cannot afford to ignore the technology.
The new political approach in Zambia may have an impact on other countries in the region. As the technology offers new possibilities such as drought tolerance in maize and benefits to African crops such as cassava, sweet potato, sorghum cowpea, yam and banana, African countries may change their over cautious political approach to a technology that could provide new advances in food security for the region.
Photo: South African drought food security maize. Kate Holt / AusAID