Why GM food, not organic, to fight hunger?

Every life is very important and nobody has a right to stop or hasten its ending—only God Himself has that mandate. So, would the government please stop increasing death agents through its introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the citizens’ diet—as Trade and Investment Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria said on Thursday?

I have no evidence of GM foods being harmful to human beings. However, there are rumours that these types of food can cause cancer in humans and also animals that consume them. Instead of risking human life by introducing GM foods to our country, the government should encourage and support farmers to, through organic farming, produce enough healthy food for all.

At the time of our grandparents, hunger and famine were not something that was meant to be dwelt on so much. They used to harvest plenty of food, which was grown organically, and nobody could claim he had none consumed because it was shared. And so, in the modern days, we should start practising these techniques of farming non-chemical healthy food in plenty and store and distribute it in the same manner.

Many farmers in the country harvest their crops but lose the produce in the store for lack of market. Yet the government can buy, store and distribute the food at a time like this when more than four million Kenyans are starving. 

Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Kakamega and Migori are some of the counties where the government should make deals with local farmers so as to be getting maize from them and store it in its godowns. Then it will be easier for the government to end famine while creating jobs for those in the agriculture value chain.

When the government agrees to implement such methods to fight hunger, Kenya will have sufficient healthy food and there will be no need to introduce GMOs in the country.

Mr Muchira is a journalism and digital media student at KCA University. [email protected].