Ecological farming, not GMO

Some people argue that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are key to attaining food security and the existing ban should be lifted. While I agree that sustainable food production is a key pillar in achieving the “Big Four Agenda”, it’s a fact also that GMOs aggravate food insecurity by, first, holding farmers in debt cycles that reduce their ability to produce food for consumption.

More than 80 per cent of the produce consumed in the country is produced by smallholder farmers. Lifting the ban on GMOs will expose them to exorbitant GM seed prices and tie them down in the cycle of debt. In Burkina Faso, where GMOs failed, farmers abandoned the cultivation of GM cotton, citing higher prices compared to their indigenous counterpart.

Draconian laws

Lifting the ban will also expose innocent farmers to draconian intellectual property laws by the multinational corporations fronting GMOs. GM seeds are patented and this could, for instance, have the ignorant farmers forced to pay royalties for crops that contaminate their farms. For instance, last year, a potato chips manufacturer sued four Indian farmers for Sh15 million after they grew their seeds.

Secondly, lifting the GMO ban will not only lead to the loss of the country’s agricultural biodiversity but also interference with its ecological balance. GM crops could contaminate non-GM ones through pollination, leading to the loss of indigenous varieties.

Thirdly, a Nation expose showed our water bodies are choking with chemicals. GMOs will lead to an increase in the use of agrochemicals (fertilisers and pesticides), contaminating them and soils further.

The push to lift the ban on GMOs is ill-advised. Food security lies in farmers controlling and breeding their own seeds and proper storage, water and infrastructure. The Agriculture ministry must ensure that farmers have access to agro-ecological information and agricultural extension services.

Ms Nasike is a food campaigner at Greenpeace Africa. [email protected].