Harvard researcher roots for agricultural biotechnology

Prof. Calestous Juma, a respected Kenyan researcher – currently based at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard - wants the G8 Summit, taking place in Japan, to explore how biotechnology can become an effective tool in enhancing food sustainability in Africa.

Juma, in an article in the Japan Times, argues that investment in agricultural biotechnology in Africa by rich countries can play an instrumental role in alleviating poverty that continues to afflict the continent.

“The G8 summit should encourage Africa and its partners to design new models of cooperation that involve partnerships between government, industry and academia,” Juma advices.

This is not the first time Prof. Juma has called for massive investments in agricultural biotechnology. In January, 2007, Prof. Juma called on African leaders to invest heavily in agricultural biotechnology.

Prof. Juma can’t be so right on the potential of agricultural biotechnology in solving Africa’s food o, when he says agricultural biotechnology has potential to change the fortunes of the African continent for the better, Prof. Juma can’t be said to be pampering to special interests. His is not a roadside pronouncement such as the ones that come from activist groups both supporting and opposing genetically modified foods.

To preempt the often-repeated line that biotech corporations’ sole motivation for developing GM crops is profit, Prof. Juma, in his article, has proposed that African scientists develop royalty-free GM crops that’ll satisfy local needs. Scientists here will identify crops that stand to benefit local communities and genetically engineer them. This is a fantastic idea because such crops will be affordable and accessible to local farmers. This approach will also go a long way in defeating propagandists who argue that GM crops are a ruse by select biotech corporations to dominate global agriculture and deny the world of organic food. (By the way, you need to watch this video that compares people’s attitude toward GMOs and organic foods.)

It’s worth noting that since the commercialization of the first genetically modified crop in 2005, there has been a swirling debate on whether small-scale farmers, especially in Africa, stand to gain from GM crops. Organizations such as the Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth claim that GM farming is for large-scale farmers in such countries such as the U.S., Canada, Spain and China.

Prof. Juma, in advocating for agricultural biotechnology for Africa, believes they can benefit small-scale farmers, and that’s why he’d like more engagement in their development by rich countries. (Read my earlier post on this issue).

G8 countries now need to listen to Prof. Juma. Some of them seem still fixated with food aid as the best solution to solving Africa’s food problems. Food aid will never solve Africa’s food problems. More sustainable strategies, like ones Prof. Juma is proposing, are what Africa needs.