Boosting food security in Africa via adoption of genetically modified crops (Environ News Nigeria)

Environ News Nigeria published an article on the history of acceptance of genetically modified crops in Nigeria and the benefits of these crops–in terms of pests, yield, and other concerns. The article suggests that Nigeria mustn’t miss out on the genetically modified crop revolution. The IFPRI book, Genetically Modified Crops in Africa, looked at the economic and policy lessons from countries south of the Sahara. Edited by Jose Falck- Zepeda, Guillaume Gruere and Idah Sithole-Niang, the authors, held that agricultural productivity challenges facing Africa require a pro­active response and vigilant evaluation of biotechnology and its many tools. The authors argued that technology interventions, genetically engineered (GE) crops, presented an option that could help increase agricultural productivity, improve income, and contribute to achieving the goals of broader poverty alleviation and national development policies.