Africa Agriculture News

Genetically modified foods will eventually provide answers to the food security situation in Kenya, according to agribusiness leaders. Mr Michael Turner, the managing director of Actis East Africa, a private equity fund with interests in agribusiness and other sectors said GM technology will open up arid and semi arid land in Kenya to food production.

“Passing the biodiversity law was a good idea. We have to find a way of making use of more than half of the country which is arid and semi arid,” he said. Kenya’s food security needs have been increasing dramatically over the years, because of the growing population, failure to use farm inputs and the now the climate change which is changing rainfall patters. “We will have no excuse to ignore the technology that can increase our food output,” said Agriculture Minister William Ruto, “This is our future.”

Proponents of the GM food in Kenya say the country has good research capacity to enable local scientists develop GM crops that are specifically suited to the country’s needs. Sidney Quantia, the coordinator of the Kenya Biodiversity Coalition had said earlier that the Biosafety Bill 2008 which was assented by the President Mwai Kibaki in February does not allow labelling of foods produced from genetic modified crops.

“We are not opposed to biotechnology but we want the proposed law to have safeguards for Kenyans,” he said.
Genetically modified (GM) foods are the result of genetic engineering ostensibly to make them withstand harsh weather conditions or boost yields. But this genetic alternation is highly opposed by various groups who say that GM foods could result in new forms of human diseases and affect the growth of flora and fauna.

Kenya Government has strongly supported GM foods and made into law the Biosafety Bill 2008 last month. The basis of the support is that it will increase food production. The argument by the anti-GM lobby is that the country does not yet have regulatory capacity to prevent rogue researchers from bringing into Kenya contaminated GM foods.

The coalition says the law signed this year to allow for GM crops to be grown in Kenya does not allow for labelling of GM crops to help consumers make a choice. There are also specific pesticides used on GM crops. This is seen as being adverse to the predominant smallholder and poor farmers in Kenya. It is seen as a way to create ready market for GM seeds and chemical manufacturers.

However, an almost similar scenario happens when farmers plant hybrid seeds. Although they can be replanted, the yields of these seeds after replanting are less and agriculture extension officers usually encourage farmers to use new seeds every planting season.