The misplaced priority of Food Sovereignty on the GMOs debate

As Ghanaians, it is imperative  to scrutinise actions or potential actions that threaten or could threaten the sovereignty of our dear nation. 

However, this sense of defence of the common good at some times gets misplaced as a priority.

One of such misplaced priorities is the vehement anti-genetically modified organisms (GMO) sentiments being peddled by Food Sovereignty Ghana (FSG) and its supporters.

Genetic engineering is simply a novel means of creating desirable breeds of organisms. Unlike in the past, where humans changed the breeds of organisms through millennia of selective breeding to reach the stages we have them today, Genetic engineering does the change right in front of our eyes by simply targeting the traits we want and selecting them straightforward and incorporating them in the organism we want. It does not have to wait for thousands of years of crossings. It is as simple and ingenious as that!

These genes are natural themselves as they are picked from other natural organisms too. 

For example, one gene taken from a corn plant and incorporated into another corn plant makes it natural and even more robust.  So, when you think about it, GMOs are very much natural!

This is why protests by the likes of FSG are actually inimical to their own very objective of ensuring food sovereignty in the country. 

Not only are GMOs safe to eat just like any other conventional food crop, there is also the international consensus that they are safe for consumption.

Reputable organisations across the globe have consistently tested and found GMOs to be safe, contrary to the misinformation FSG is spreading.

Lack of consensus

The rhetoric used by organisations such as Food Sovereignty is similar to what climate change deniers and anti-vaccine campaigners keep bringing up by saying there is no consensus on climate change and vaccine safety respectively. 

Contrary to this, however, there is a consensus on climate change in the scientific community, there is a consensus on vaccine safety in the scientific community, and there is a consensus on GMOs too in the scientific community.  

So, when FSG says GMOs are not safe, it baffles me where they are getting their data from. And as it turns out, their sources come from disreputable organisations and individuals who have their own anti-GMO agenda to sell.

The latest object of interest this group has set its eyes on is the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Afriyie Akoto. 

The minister clearly understands the imperative of this technology in increasing yields, reducing the burden on farmers in having to apply little or no pesticide and fertiliser to get great yields and most importantly, drought resistant varieties that are genetically engineered as  part of a potent fix to the problem of climate change and its effects on our farmers. 

Of course, Dr Akoto was right when, in 2014, he said on national television that anti GMO scaremongers were hypocritical. 

GMOs are not only about food, they are about many things and are used in many places and we do not complain but when it comes to food, there is a double standard. 

The insulin example

When diabetic patients use insulin that is derived using genetic engineering, we do not complain that because an insulin-forming gene has been incorporated into a bacteria to produce insulin, that insulin is bad.  However, we take the insulin and feel better.

This begs the question; if there was no consensus on genetic engineering, how come insulin use has been approved by humans for decades now and as a result, countless lives have been saved?

This exposes the stance of FSG on the GMO debate.

Obviously, there is a consensus else we would not have had insulin on our drug shelves.

And the fact that till date, no single person has been confirmed dead from eating or using GMO products means that the concerns raised on the impact of GMOs on lives is baseless.

There is currently an army worm infestation in southern Africa, ravaging farms and produce that come its way and traditional pesticides and agronomic practices have failed to stop their advance.

This is an international emergency, which threatens the food security of the region.

Growing genetically modified crops that these army worms will be unable to eat would ensure food security in the long run. 

When we talk about GMOs, these are the cases we want o stop.

If we care about our people, food security, our lives, we want to live and healthy lives, we want a wealthier country, as well as a healthy and prosperous Africa, then GMOs are here to help us attain that.

Genetic engineering is a technology we ought to develop and master to shape our own future, the new African needs all the tools she can get to clamp down  poverty in wealth and health.

Indeed, genetic engineering is our friend as technology is our friend.

The writer is a graduate of UDS and holds a BSc in Agric Technology with a major in Biotechnology.

Email: a.atambire@gmail.com