Edited by Steven Were Omamo and Klaus von Grebmer 297 pages / 2005 / ISBN 0-89629-737-3

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In 2002–2003, when a number of southern African countries suffering from food shortages rejected food aid in the form of genetically modified grain, a highly polarized debate over biotechnology came to the surface. Pro-biotech and anti-biotech camps forcefully argued about the role of modern biotechnology in Africa's economic development, often excluding African policymakers from the dialogue and leaving the public uncertain about where the truth lay. In response, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) embarked on a multistakeholder initiative aimed at raising awareness, promoting dialogue, and catalyzing consensus-building mechanisms to improve the institutions and policies governing agricultural biotechnology and to assess its implications for food security in southern Africa. The result of this initiative, this book brings together experts from within and outside Africa to discuss the current status of biotechnology in southern Africa, the conceptual framework for multistakeholder dialogues, the political and ethical issues surrounding biotechnology, food safety and consumer issues, biosafety, intellectual property rights, and trade involving genetically modified foods.

Read review at the New Agriculturist online.

Entire Book

Book Chapters:

Table of Contents; Lists of Tables and Figures; Foreword, Acknowledgments

(PDF 67K)

Introduction
Steven Were Omamo and Klaus von Grebmer

(PDF 74K)

Chapter 1: Agricultural Biotechnology in Southern Africa: A Regional Synthesis 13
Doreen Mnyulwa and Julius Mugwagwa

(PDF 127K)

Chapter 2: Consensus-Building Processes in Society and Genetically Modified Organisms: The Concept and Practice of Multistakeholder Processes
David Matz and Michele Ferenz

(PDF 1.3M)

Chapter 3: Agricultural Biotechnology, Politics, Ethics, and Policy
Julian Kinderlerer and Mike Adcock

(PDF 316K)

Chapter 4: Food Safety and Consumer Choice Policy
David Pelletier

(PDF 1.1M)

Chapter 5: Biosafety Policy
Unesu Ushewokunze-Obatolu

(PDF 954K)

Chapter 6: Intellectual Property Rights Policy
Norah Olembo

(PDF 91K)

Chapter 7: Trade Policy
Moono Mupotola

(PDF 81K)

Chapter 8:Lessons and Recommendations
Klaus von Grebmer and Steven Were Omamo

(PDF 98K)

Appendix A: Workshop Proceedings for the FANRPAN-IFPRI Regional Policy Dialogue on Biotechnology, Agriculture, and Food Security in Southern Africa
Jenna Kryszczun and Steven Were Omamo

(PDF 159K)

Appendix B: Workshop Program and Steering Committee Meeting Notes
Susan C. M. Scrimshaw

(PDF 56K)

Contributors

(PDF 35K)

Index

(PDF 79K)

I have just read the abstract of this book, and I strongly believe that the book addresses the current issues of our time especially we the Africans. Bio-technology has a lot of role to play towards agricultural development in Africa both in terms of increased yields and postharvest processings. The writers of this book mean well for Africans. It should be an intellectual property. Thanks.

A gentlemen I work with showed me the work of Norman Borlaug who is one of the founding fathers of biotech farming. This came from the fact that I was wanting to donate money to the severe starvation isssue in Africa now through Oxfam due to drought. Here in America a great deal of our food is biotech farmed and modified for growth and production. Norman Borluag's Biotech farming procedures have lead to 5 times the growth per acre for wheat since the 1950's amongst a great deal of other crops. Why does organizations like Oxfam and others reject these methods for Africa when they have been proven to be so effective in America and Asian coutry's etc...? I'd rather donate my money to a proven biotech farming solution verses that of a quick fix that will not solve the true issue at hand. I know that there are risk associated with Biotech farming (Cancer & Unknowns) but these people are dying and trillions of dollars of aids have not solved the starvation issue for decades. More money has been donated to Africa in regards to starvation than the entire planet earth but starvation persist! I believe the solution is before us with biotech farming and I can't understand why we are going about fixing the stravation issue in Africa like we have been doing in the past. Can someone offer me some intelligent, factual insight into this issue?

Thank you

Authors' response: Thank you very much for your remarks and the questions you pose. The intention of our book is to allow African countries to make informed choices on the use or non-use of biotechnology. Biotechnology is not the silver bullet to solve problems of starvation but it could make significant positive contributions to fight hunger and malnutrition if used wisely. We think that a blindfold acceptance is as wrong as a fundamental rejection. That is the reason why multi stakeholder dialogues are important and why developing countries should lead such dialogues.

You mention cancer among the potential risks. The human safety issue is not cancer; in fact we have never seen in the literature that this allegation was made. Allergies could be a problem but genetically modified food is tested for this. There might be environmental risks and persons responsible for biosafety are well advised to assess them.