The decision by the Kenyan government to lift the moratorium effected in 2012, against the open cultivation and importation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs); has thrown Kenyans and the entire East African region into the horns of a dilemma.
GM technology in the continent has almost been a 'taboo,' largely and vehemently shunned by the majority, given the plethora of myths besieging it, pertinently implications on health and environmental safety.
The approval allows the cultivation and importation of genetically modified (GM) maize, for mass consumption in the wake of the devastating drought that has hit parts of the country, and the entire Horn of Africa region.
In tandem, this will help lower the cost of flour which has gone up due to the high inflation rate, as the government looks to drop the subsidy scheme, which has been declared as unsustainable to the economy. Until recently, the government has wrestled against GMO adoption and commercialization, but the daunting hunger crisis was said to be the proverbial 'last stroke on the camel's back'. Or was it?
Seemingly, for the past three years East Africa has been under siege by a series of misfortunes, largely instigated by climate change. For starters, the region has endured four consecutive seasons of below average rainfall, creating the driest conditions since the early 1980s and pushing millions across the two regions into extreme hunger. Amid this crisis, the regions were invaded by a plague of locusts that devoured yields, at such a high magnitude that deeply exacerbated food insecurity.
Furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic spelled doom, worsening an already dire situation and just as recovery was imminent, the disruption of the global food supply chain caused by the Russian -Ukraine conflict, has exploded and left the regions on the brink of starvation. The unfolding crisis has driven inflation through the roof, hiking global trade in food commodities such as grain and oil, coupled with fuel and fertilizer prices. Countries in East Africa import up to 90% of their wheat from Ukraine and Russia.
Agriculture is undoubtedly the backbone of the Kenyan economy. According to a 2022 USAID report on food security in Kenya, the agricultural sector contributes approximately 33 per cent to Kenya's GDP. In addition, it creates employment for 80 per cent of the population both directly and indirectly. By the same token, Africa has massive arable land estimated at 60 per cent and it's a paradox, that it's not a food powerhouse. It instead perennially suffers from chronic drought and famine. With perspective to the pivotal role played by agriculture in the continent, the African Union (AU) had declared 2014 as the Year of Agriculture and Food Security; stimulating leaders to treat agriculture as a viable solution to eradicate poverty and hunger.
Since the drought was declared a national disaster in September, following a 70 per cent drop in crop production, the government has spent more than US$76 million. The drought in Kenya's Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs), has torn families and livelihoods apart; rivers and wells have dried up, animal carcasses litter the bare and rocky expanses of these regions. In Kenya singularly, more than 1.5 million herds of livestock have died. Children under the age of five are chronically malnourished and so are the pregnant and lactating women. Of the ten sub-counties surveyed, Turkana North, Turkana South, Marsabit and North Horr had global acute malnutrition (GAM).
East Africa faces a profoundly alarming hunger crisis pertinently in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan, which are experiencing an unfolding full-scale catastrophe." said Gabriela Bucher, the Oxfam Executive Director.
Consequently, the Kenyan government felt obligated to respond adequately to the escalating hunger crisis, before it flew off the handle. President William Ruto's administration hopes to avail relief food for the millions of people bearing the brunt of this quagmire, recorded to be the worst in forty years. Well over three million Kenyans in 23 counties, are suffering the deleterious effects of drought and famine calling for urgent government intervention. In reiteration, a statement issued by the President's office noted that the decision was, "a progressive step towards significantly redefining agriculture in Kenya, by adopting crops that are resistant to pests and disease."
Before arriving at the decision, the Cabinet conducted wide consultations and took into account experts' opinions and was guided by numerous reports published by credible organizations, such as the Kenya's National Biosafety Authority (NBA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
The released government statement read, "In accordance with the recommendation of the Task Force to Review Matters Relating to Genetically Modified Foods and Food Safety, and in fidelity with the guidelines of the National Biosafety Authority on all applicable international treaties including the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB), Cabinet vacated its earlier decision of November 8, 2012, prohibiting the open cultivation of genetically modified crops and the importation of food crops and animal feeds produced through biotechnology innovations; effectively lifting the ban on Genetically Modified Crops."
Just what are GMOs and does the string of myths surrounding them bear any truth at all?
GMOs are organisms whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques; often plants that have been modified to achieve certain traits, such as drought tolerance, pest-resistant utilizing recombinant DNA techniques or genetic engineering. According to the WHO, GM foods currently available on the international market have passed safety assessments, and do not present risks to human health. Some of the advantages that African farmers can reap from these transgenic crops include: reduced production costs, increased yields and higher income. What's more, in 2016 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates suggested that GMO technology, could kick-start "an agricultural revolution" in Africa.
Activists and agriculture lobbyist have already protested the move by the government to lift the 10-year ban on GM foods. A joint statement signed by Greenpeace Africa and lobbyist groups argued that, "food security is not just about the amount of food, but the quality and safety. Our cultural and indigenous foods have proved to be safer, with diverse nutrients and with less harmful chemical inputs."
Lobbyists insist that public participation could have taken place, prior to lifting the ban; and are championing for its reinstatement. Furthermore, they are advocating for an inclusive participatory process to be instituted or a taskforce onboarded, to investigate long-term and sustainable solutions to attain food security.
The move has elicited divergent views across the region. Tanzania is firmly opposed to the use of biotechnology in food production, and considering its proximity to Kenya, has upgraded its vigilance to ensure GM food or cash crops do not find their way into the country; as boldly stated by the country's Agriculture minister Hussein Bashe.
In reiteration, the African Organic Network (AfroNET), a lobby firm based in Dar es Salaam noted that Kenya acted without proper consideration of the long-term ramifications of GM technology, on the collective health of its citizens. According to the firm, the country has taken a wrong approach to such a contentious issue which goes beyond ensuring food security.
Review of GMOs History in Kenya
GM maize testing in Kenya started in 2010 but was officially banned in 2012, with an announcement by the then incumbent Minister of Health, Beth Mugo. This was based on a journal by French scientist Eric Seralini, which claimed that the crops had a link to cancer. This was deducted from an experiment, where rats were fed GMOs and developed cancerous tumours. However, the journal was later recalled and discredited on grounds that it was inconclusive on the matter. Since the ban, local scientists have been studying genetically modified materials and developing GM seeds, under confined field trials and research institutes, overseen by the sector regulator, NBA.
Over and above, in 2016, NBA granted approvals for their environmental release. Later in 2019, the Cabinet approved the commercialization of Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT) Cotton Hybrids in Kenya, which is a genetically enhanced variety of cotton that is resistant to African Bollworm, the most destructive and pervasive pest in cotton farming. This was a move to boost and revamp the production of textiles and apparels, additionally creating jobs, in line with the previous government's Big 4 Agenda. The recent decision builds on this, extending its benefits to agriculture and other manufacturing sectors. In 2021, scientists completed research on GM maize and the material has been awaiting approval by the Cabinet, before release for commercial farming.
The GMO maize variety that the scientists in Kenya have been researching can tolerate drought and insect stress, and has a 40 per cent yield advantage, when compared to the conventional hybrid that is grown locally. With the population burgeoning faster than food production, the government has been under immense pressure, to urgently boost its harvest of major crops such as maize, rice, cassava and wheat. By the same token, GMO imports will aid in lowering the high cost of animal feeds, which have been skyrocketing over the past few years; further opening a door for the importation of other non-conventional materials, used in making feeds such as soya.
During the 30th Ordinary Council of Ministers session in 2014, the East African Community (EAC), prepared and submitted the draft on regional Biotechnology and Biosafety Policy to the Council of Ministers. There were recommendations made which included establishing a biotechnology and biosafety unit at the Secretariat to provide logistical, administrative and support to the policy framework. However, this is yet to materialize. In the same breath, during the 5th Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Joint Meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources; a proposed common policy on biotechnology and biosafety, was endorsed with perspective to the sovereignty of each member state.
Was the GMO Waiver Corporate Engineered to Monopolize Food Systems in Kenya, and Africa?
In cognizance that food systems in Africa are becoming more corporate controlled and market -oriented by the day; it begs the question whether Kenya fell prey to these monopolistic predators. The dire state of food insecurity in Africa, has left the continent's food systems vulnerable to manipulation. Given that President Ruto reduced the price of fertilizers to improve crop yields, as one of the first legislations after being sworn in, was this move necessary? Couldn't the government have taken more time to gauge the impact of the reduced fertilizer prices?
A 2021 survey by Route to Food, found that 57% of Kenyans are not willing to consume genetically modified food. The move has left Kenyans with numerous unanswered questions. What happens to Kenyan farmers who export farm produce, pertinently to the European Union (EU) countries, which is Africa's largest export market; given that the World Food Programme (WFP) only endorses non-GMO food crops for exchange between countries? Could Kenya's prominent status as the region's powerhouse have made it a target, to disseminate confidence of GMOs' adoption, among other countries in the region and Africa on the whole?
Conversely, could the decision to waive the ban have been Kenya finally succumbing to the pressure by the US to perpetuate diplomatic ties? Just seven months ago, the US Trade Representative's office (USTR), in its annual report protested Kenya's failure to approve GM foods and crops, noting that the measure was restricting its exports. Being the world's biggest producer of GMO crops, Kenya's approval could enormously boost agricultural purchases for the US with its 'big six' multinational companies, which monopolize the industry. These include: Bayer, Syngenta, Dow Chemical, DuPont, BASF and Monsanto.
The ban had restricted the sale of products from US companies, which have been seeking potential new markets in Kenya. "Kenya's GE ban has blocked both US government food aid and agricultural exports derived from agricultural biotechnology. The restriction affects US exports of processed and unprocessed foods and feed ingredients, such as soy, corn, and distiller dried grains with solubles," the USTR highlighted in its annual trade barriers list published in late March.
"The GE import ban also affects trans-shipment, as a result, US government food aid shipments of GE commodities destined for inland East African countries, which would ordinarily enter through the Port of Mombasa, must be diverted to other ports or reformulated with non-GE commodities," added the USTR.
The Biden administration signaled the resumption of stalled talks for a free trade agreement between Kenya and the US; which had been initiated in 2020 during the former President Uhuru Kenyatta's term and then incumbent President Donald Trump. With the expiry of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), edging closer Kenya sought to broker a deal before the 2025 deadline. If this be the case then it makes for another classic case of neocolonialism; the US multinational corporations will have the lion's share of the profits hence will wield more power to monopolize Kenya's food system.
According to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), the number of countries planting biotech crops has grown from three in 2016 to over 10 in 2022, to include South Africa, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Swaziland, Tanzania and Uganda, under sustained biotech crop research. Kenya becomes the first country in East Africa, to approve the use of genetically modified foods. Countries are mostly planting staples such as maize, sorghum, and cowpea, but also cash crops such as cotton and soybean.
Who are true benefactors of this ban lifting? Undoubtedly the move unlocks billions in the untapped GM technology industry that could largely boost the economy. In 2018, Africa's GM market was estimated to be valued at around US$615.4 million, and is forecast to grow around 5 per cent to reach an estimated US$871 million by 2025. Additionally, firms that produce GM seeds together with traders dealing in grain imports, are bound to reap a harvest following the ban lift.
Prior to the waiver, Kenya has been party to the Cartagena protocol that advocates for the protection of biological diversity from the adverse effects of GMOs, and additionally the Kenya Biosafety Act which was signed into law in 2009. Observers speculate that Kenya's 'rash' decision is informed by the need to open a window to receive relief food donations, from countries that have authorized GMOs, such as the US. In the 2022 fiscal year alone, the US has provided nearly US$324 million in humanitarian assistance to the people of Kenya, recorded to be the greatest share of all donor funding to date.
Undoubtedly technology has its place in revolutionizing agriculture on the continent. In light of this, Agriculture Technology (Agritech) companies have been swiftly mushrooming in the continent, to seal the productivity deficit, thereby aiding in alleviating food insecurity in the continent. These startups deploy world class technologies such as automated irrigation, soil sensors and drones among other cutting-edge technologies; including digital systems to assist farmers to acquire knowledge, financing, accessing markets, insurance or inputs.
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Moreover, funding for AgriTech startups have been rapidly growing; the average amount of capital raised by AgriTech startups in Africa was USUS$ 3.7 M in 2020, US$2.8M in 2019 and 1.8 M in 2018. Some startups that have put Africa's AgriTech scene on the map include South Africa's Aerobotic and AgriProtein; Ghana's AgroCenta; Egypt's Agrimatic; Nigeria's Farmcrowdy; Zambia's AgriPredict; and Kenya's Hello Tractor and Twiga Foods.
The AU Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2024 (STISA-2024); places science, technology and innovation at the epicenter of Africa's socio-economic development and growth. It was developed during the formulation of the broader and long-term AU Agenda 2063; and is the first of the ten-year incremental phasing strategies to respond to the demand for science, technology and innovation; to impact across critical sectors such as agriculture, energy, environment, health, infrastructure development, mining, security and water. The Strategy was anchored on six distinct priority areas that contribute to the achievement of AU's vision. Chief among them is the eradication of hunger and achieving food security, backed up by the reinforcing pillar of promoting an enabling environment for STI development in the African continent.
Connecting the dots...
The Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
AGRA was founded in 2006 by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, based on a shared vision that investing in agriculture technology; is the most viable path to reducing poverty and hunger in Africa. This came to be known as the first 'green revolution' which is said to have bypassed Africa.
The Cornell Alliance for Science (CAS), was founded in 2014 to champion for the adoption of GMOs, fighting agroecology; calling it economically and socially regressive. On the flip side, the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), which represents more than 200 million farmers, fishers, pastoralists, indigenous peoples, women, consumers and others across all but five African countries, affirm that agroecology is what Africa needs to sustainably achieve food security.
Agroecology comprises of small-scale, ecofriendly cultivation methods using indigenous knowledge and inputs coupled with technology to increase variety, nutritive value and quantity of foods produced on farms while stabilizing rural economies, promoting gender equity and protecting biodiversity. AFSA believes in agroecology non-corporate interference, giving farmers the rights to choose seeds and methods of cultivation.
The CAS with financial backing by the Melinda Gates Foundation, has slowly been succeeding in undermining support of agroecology among Africa's scientists and political leaders. The alliance has been active in narrowing the democratic space, for discussions on food systems in African countries. CAS launched its Global Leadership Fellows Programme and has been training fellows, recruiting more from countries where the biotech industry, has been seeking regulatory approvals for GMOs.
The graduates work in tandem with government and the media to promote GMO adoption. This has been evidenced in Uganda and Nigeria; CAS has recruited journalists and key government officials working in agriculture, who are active in discrediting agroecology and instead promote biotechnology-based solutions. Similarly, in Nigeria CAS fellows in key agencies, have been actively advocating for biotechnology calling it the only scientific option to end hunger in Africa.
It remains to be seen whether the government will address the myriad concerns by lobbyists and give guidelines on how GMOs can coexist with the conventional organic crops, or ultimately reinstate the ban, only time will tell.
