Biotechnology can increase effi-ciency in farming and ensure food security, but
some scientists in the region have urged caution when implementing policies governing its
use.
Biotechnology is the use of biological processes to develop
various prod-ucts using a wide range of techniques involving the use and manipulation of
living organisms. These products can then be commercially exploited.
It includes genetic engineering where genes are transferred
and isolated to give certain super varieties of the end-product. Some of the most common
techniques are tissue or cell culture, cloning and fermentation methods, cell fusion and
embryo transfer as well as gene tech-nology (genetic engineering). Biotech-nology is also
used in producing antibiotics and fast-maturing varieties of crops.
Scientists attending a recent symposium on "Food
Biotechnology: Facts, and the Future" in Midrand, South Africa, organised by
Africabio, a non-governmental organisation, pointed out that there is need to put in place
biosafety systems at national and international levels. The scientists agreed that
well-functioning safety systems are composed of guidelines, which involve peoples’
concerns, have a review process and provide feedback.
Since most countries in the region have not started
bio-safety programmes, the symposium agreed that |
guidelines should also be scientific, transparent and flexible.
There is a need to build competence and confidence in the people involved.
Addressing the symposium, Dr John Kilama, president of the
Global Biodiversity Institute based in the US said Africa must be involved in the
scientific evaluation of biotechnology because if it is not, the continent may miss the
benefits that may come with the technology.
Africans can, and should, influence the biotechnology
debate by first getting involved in the technology, participants noted. Many countries and
institutions use the guidelines developed by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
and recent advances in biotechnology to implement bio-prospecting programmes that benefit
the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources. Kilama cited the
pharmaceutical industry, which has benefited from biodiversity through drugs developed
from natural compounds while agricultural industry improves crops by breeding them with
wild relatives.
Dianne Terblanche of the Consumer Institute of South Africa
said that if biotechnology is to be harnessed in the region as a way to increase food
security, any danger to the consumer must be addressed first before biotech products are
released for consumption.
She stressed people’s |
right to choose, be informed, and to be
protected. Terblanche pointed out that for the benefit of the consumer, education and
information campaigns should precede such technology.
Terblanche raised the
emotions of the supporters of biotechnology when she stressed that even in the developed
world, scientists are arguing on both sides of the debate. She called for a rethink about
the immediate release of biotech foods in the region until more research and education
campaigns can be held in developing countries.
Florence Wambugu, director of the International Service for
the Acquisition of Agribiotech Applications based in Nairobi, argued that the anticipated
increase in agricultural productivity must be achieved without adverse effects to the
environment, depletion of natural resources and within sustainable agri-cultural
development.
"Biotechnology is expected to impact [the
agricultural] sector by enabling the development of crops resistant to pests and diseases,
enhanced food value and control of post harvest loses, thus in-creasing and improving
agricultural productivity." Wambugu also said that this would contribute to reduced
use of toxic chemical pesticides and a safer environment.Amid an intense debate, some
scientists voiced the need for education and ecological monitoring in southern
Africa |
