Understanding GMOs: South Africa embraced them and doubled maize production; is Kenya next?

What are GMOs?

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are relatively new and, like anything new, there are conflicting viewpoints about many issues surrounding the use of these plants. One area that draws a lot of attention is whether these GMOs are safe to eat. The “G” refers to genes which contain a set of hereditary instructions from a parent organism embedded within a DNA structure. “Modified” implies the adjustment and manipulations that are done and, lastly, the term “organism” refers to all living things (macro and micro organisms).

The development of GMOs starts in the laboratory where part of the DNA with desired characteristics within the gene of living organisms are inserted into another living organism’s DNA, embedded within its nucleus. In reality, if you were to stretch the DNA in one cell end-to-end, then it would be about two metres long — of which just a small section is modified. A vast majority of the organism’s genetic code remains completely unchanged by the process. Once this single cell has been modified, then it will be regenerated or reproduced as a new plant or animal.

History of GMOs

The first GMO was developed in 1973 by biochemists Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen. In 1982, after successive trials, the first consumer GMO product was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and this led to the production of the human insulin meant to treat diabetes. Globally, an estimated 17 million farmers are growing at least one form of GM crop, with Africa accounting for most of those farmers.

Current estimates show that over 70 countries import or grow GMOs, with the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, India and China being among the topping the list. In Africa, the first country to embrace GMOs was South Africa in 1998, followed by Burkina Faso and Egypt in 2008, Sudan in 2012 and Kenya in 2022 after the lifting of the 2012 moratorium that restricted importation or open cultivation of GM crops.

We, as scientists, see GMOs as the silver bullet towards ensuring Africa is food-secure, putting in perspective the dual challenges of having the highest population rate estimated to reach 2.2 billion by 2050 from the current 1.2 billion, and the impacts associated with climate change.

GMOs can be developed to tackle problems that are specific to developing countries, thereby improve yields, increase food security and nutrition, reduce production costs while increasing disease and drought resistance.

According to the latest report on climate by The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Africa is projected to experience a decline in rainfall and an increase in temperature. This is particularly significant for the more than 95 percent of farmers in Africa and Kenya, who depend on rain-fed agriculture throughout, and this is where drought-resistant GMOs will cushion the farmers from famine. Since the adoption of GMOs in South Africa in 1998, it has led to the country doubling its maize productivity by an addition of 4.6 million kilos of white maize rations annually, making it a net exporter of this commodity. This contributes to food security and also generates foreign income, which reduces the country’s trade deficit.

In the case of Sudan, it was able to increase its cotton production rate and reduce production costs after adopting BT cotton. There is a 98 percent adoption rate among farmers.

Laws governing policy, implementation of GMOs

• The 2003 Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

This is an international agreement on biosafety as a supplement to the Convention on Biological Diversity effective since 2003. It seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by modern biotechnology. It stipulates that products from new tech must be based on the precautionary principle and allow developing nations to balance public health against economic benefits.

• The 2006 National Policy on Biotechnology Development

The policy charts the vision of the Kenyan government towards the development and safe application of biotech. It provides those developing and applying the technology with a clear framework under which to operate and compels the government to set up relevant institutional, infrastructural and legislative framework and, in particular, the enactment of new legislation on biosafety.

• The 2009 Biosafety Act

The purpose of this Act is to help establish a transparent, science-based and predictable process for reviewing and making decisions on the development, transfer, handling and use of GMOs and related activities.

Pros of using GMOs

• GMOs produce a protein that is toxic to several pests and insects, which helps to give them a natural resistance. The BT gene – which comes from a naturally occurring bacteria known as Bacillus thuringiensis – has been genetically engineered into crops like corn, cotton, and soybeans.

• In Kenya, the stalk borer pest causes a loss of over 400,000 metric tonnes of maize annually on the non-GMO maize. With the GMO species, a 40 percent yield improvement has been recorded under experimental trials

• GMOs can be modified to help farmers adapt to the changing climate by growing crops resistant to stressful conditions such as droughts and high temperatures experienced in the arid and semi-arid lands of Kenya.

• GMOs can be modified to increase nutritional values of various food products. One example is the fortification of crops with various vitamins such as beta carotene, which has been developed to prevent blindness in regions where local diets are chronically deficient in vitamin A.

• The untapped GMO industry is projected to create over 25,000 jobs in the cotton industry alone from cultivation, processing and trading. Due to the associated environmental and climate change impacts, the cotton production in Kenya over the past decade has seen a more than 50 percent production yearly to the current 10 million kilogrammes, making it unable to meet the yearly domestic demand of about 43 million kgs.

• GMOs can be modified to have a longer shelf life once harvested, therefore reducing post-harvest losses

• GMOs are known to produce high yields from the same size of croplands. This means that they take less land and with the increasing population in Kenya, agricultural land is becoming scarce. GMOs will be the best alternative under prevailing circumstances

• GMOs have been seen to reduce the dependency on insecticides, pesticides and cut down machine usage. This brings a huge environmental and health benefit in that pollution associated with the usage of chemicals that results to water, soil and air pollution will be cut down

Cons of using GMOs

• Allergies

One projected side effect is that GMOs may trigger allergic reactions since they contain foreign genes that may harbour factors that prompt allergies. A study from the mid-1990s found that adding a protein from Brazil nuts to GMO soybeans could trigger an allergic reaction in people sensitive to Brazil nuts.

• Cancers

Similarly, there’s a common concern that GMO foods may aid the progression of cancers. Because cancers are caused by DNA mutations, some people fear that eating foods with added genes may affect their DNA. This worry may stem partly from an early mice study that linked GMO intake to a higher risk of tumours and early death. However, this study was later retracted because it was poorly designed. Currently, no human research ties GMO intake to cancers. The American Cancer Society has stated that there is no evidence to link GMO food intake to an increased or decreased risk of cancer.

• Environmental concerns

Although GM crops are convenient for farmers, there are environmental concerns. Most GM crops are resistant to herbicides such as Roundup. This means that farmers can use Roundup without fear of it harming their own crops. However, a growing number of weeds have developed resistance to this herbicide over time. This has led to even more Roundup being sprayed on crops to kill the resistant weeds because they can affect the crop harvest. Roundup and its active ingredient glyphosate are subject to controversy. Still, a review of multiple studies concluded that the low amounts of glyphosate present on GMO foods are safe for human consumption. GM crops also allow for fewer pesticide applications, which is a positive for the environment.

• Resistant pests

As pesticides are applied to insects that present a threat to crops, a few of them tend to survive the application. Each subsequent generation becomes more resilient to the pesticide. That means either more needs to be applied or a stronger agent needs to be applied. When something stronger is placed on the crops, the cycle of resilience begins again.

• Loss of biodiversity

The other danger is the loss of biodiversity, which may occur as a result of uncontrolled growing of the GMOs that might end up cross-pollinating and affecting the non-GMOs. The GMOs are feared to harm biodiversity through a reduction in the insects that serve as a source of food for other living organisms.

Conclusion

GM crops will allow us produce better crops that are high yielding, resistant to pests and cost effective, thereby cushioning us from food insecurity.

Dr Koimburi is the founder of Climate Change Kenya Organisation