Ethiopia still wary of GMOs
“GMOs, really? In Ethiopia?! A country where hospitals are scarce and do not possess a decent amount of food to go around!” exclaimed Mozi @mozitii after reading this news. It is titled USDA pleased with Ethiopian Gov’t for its willingness to approve GMOs.
The WHO defines Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as organisms (i.e. plants, animals or microorganisms) in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination.
USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) in its report published in February, highlights that Ethiopian farmers and researchers have tried to address food security shortfalls and plant health issues through conventional breeding without success. However, Mozi as a concerned Ethiopian with the same drive as she started with argues, “Yes, we might have food shortage or even farmers still farming using olden ways, but isn’t there a way to solve it by helping them with better equipment to farm or implement some type of infrastructure? Inviting cancer, diabetes, obesities to our homeland in addition to all the issues we have on the other side, is really infuriating.”
Teshome Hunduma, a PhD research fellow at Norwegian University of Life Sciences on his extensive Addis Standard’s article says, “The USDA’s appreciation of Ethiopia’s policy change is driven by a strategic interest for the United States and American multinationals to use Ethiopia as a springboard to expand GMO cultivation in Africa. Ethiopia’s uncritical and hasty approval of GMOs can have consequences for the country’s biodiversity, public health, and the socio-economic conditions of smallholder farmers.”
Simachew Tibebu @Smachewh
Is it all bad news?
GMOs help us bring products to a lower price point for consumers, lower production costs for farmers, increased resistance among crops to plant diseases caused by insects or viruses and tastier and more nutritious foods. How about the advantages of consuming Organics, you ask? No use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, healthier soil through organic farming practices, organic meats don’t contain any growth hormones, animals raised organically aren’t given any antibiotics, organic soil better conserves water, fosters biodiversity, combats erosion and mitigates climate change for significant environmental gains.
“Ugh! Do not know who to shout to.”, utters Mozi in frustration, “but if we can unite, we can make a difference.” Helen took it up a notch by insisting that we have to put pressure on PM Abiy Ahmed to avert social, economic, and environmental disaster in her petition which emphasizes that the livelihoods of millions of Ethiopian smallholders are at risk, as is Ethiopia’s unique biodiversity, which is a human treasure not to be exploited for commercial gain by a handful of multinational corporations.
