Is there a deliberate attempt to keep GM foods out of Africa?

Feb 17, 2010

Title of book: Starved For Science, How Biotechnology is being kept out of Africa.<br>Author: Robert Paarlberg<br><br><br>While Genetically Modified (GM) foods have been accepted in many countries around the world, in Africa, it is only South-Africa which produces GM foods commercially. In this

Title of book: Starved For Science, How Biotechnology is being kept out of Africa.
Author: Robert Paarlberg


A BOOK REVIEW BY JOSHUA KATO

While Genetically Modified (GM) foods have been accepted in many countries around the world, in Africa, it is only South-Africa which produces GM foods commercially. In this book, the author examines whether this denial by mainly Europe has merit, or it is a ploy to make Africans more hungrier.

In the preface, the author paints a picture of a typical African farmer: visibly poor but hardworking women. They have no improved seeds, no chemical fertilisers and no irrigation and their meagre crops provide less than a dollar a day.

Paarlberg argues that one of the reason African farmers and Africa is hungry is because they have failed from adopting new technologies, or are being prevented. The main one, being growing biotechnologically produced seeds. The author dwells on everything to do with biotechnology in the first chapter.

In sum, the author points out that African farmers are poor because their grand parents were also poor and if we are left in this vicious circle of poverty, hunger will continue ravaging through them.

Paarlberg believes that it is only agricultural science, like the one the wealthy countries adopted years ago, which will help stop this poverty.

It is a well researched book. The author talked to tens of agriculture science experts across continents and their views are compacted together in this book. This is a book that will certainly take the debate about GMOs in Africa at another level. Any person keen about GMOs must have it.

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