Joseph Maina, Author at AfricaBusiness.com

17Dec

By Joseph MainaNo Comments

Agriculture

GMOs in Sub-Saharan Africa – What you need to know

Several African countries have adopted Genetically Modified (GM) crop farming and the number is expected to grow in the future. But just how much are genetically modified organisms (GMOs) expected to shape the future of Sub-Saharan Africa’s agriculture? Joseph Maina explains. Many of us have heard of genetically modified (GM) crops and how they are transforming agricultural production across the world. Here in Africa, several countries have adopted GM crop farming and the number is expected to grow in the future. But just what are genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and how much are they expected to shape the future of Sub-Saharan Africa’s agriculture? Where does SSA stand in GMO farming, and how has the region benefited? Below is a catalog of points to help us better understand the ...

8Nov

By Joseph MainaNo Comments

Agriculture, Burkina Faso News, Kenya News

GMOs have lessened pesticide poisoning and improved yields in Africa, says report

A report by a top caucus of experts in the United Kingdom shows that many countries have benefited from improved economies and healthier populations by farming genetically modified (GM) crops. Most significantly, the low pesticide use associated with GM farming is linked to fewer incidences of pesticide poisoning among farmworkers—particularly for small-scale farmers, observes the Report on Genetic Technologies released in September by the UK’s Regulatory Horizons Council. In India, for instance, the report cites a 50-70% reduction in pesticide applications on insect-resistant cotton, which has led to significant health benefits for farmers. “It has been estimated that this GM crop helps to avoid several million cases of pesticide poisoning per year,” the report noted. “There have als...

9Aug

By Joseph MainaNo Comments

Agriculture, Kenya News, Uganda News

Biotechnology and biodiversity in Africa

Though biotechnology is most often seen as a tool to meet Africa’s food needs, it could also play a role in protecting the continent’s unique biodiversity. Ugandan environmental activist, geneticist and conservation biologist Clet Wandui asserts that biotechnology has in fact helped to preserve and protect Africa’s biodiversity, a term that refers to the number of different species that are present in a given location, along with the numbers of individuals in each species and genetic variability within the species. “Actually, biotechnology has come to save biodiversity,” Wandui told this writer. “If you look scientifically at the drivers of biodiversity loss, there is nowhere biotechnology comes in.” He says that, broadly, biotechnology has been instrumental in increasing yields, reduci...

15Jul

By Joseph MainaNo Comments

Agriculture, Kenya News

GM cassava promises higher yields and profits for Kenyan farmers

Cassava farmers in Kenya are set to reap more yields and earn higher profits from their crops as the East African country prepares for the rollout of a genetically modified (GM) cassava variety that can fight off two of the most devastating diseases affecting the crop in the region. The government’s approval in June for environmental release to conduct National Performance Trials (NPT) for cassava varieties offering disease-resistant traits marks the penultimate stage before the superior variety is finally released to farmers. Free seed material is just one of the many benefits that lie ahead for cassava farmers in the country once the improved crop is approved for release to farmers. “This cassava will be free to the small-scale farmers,” said Dr Catherine Taracha, Director of Biotechnolo...

29Jun

By Joseph MainaNo Comments

Medicine

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy threatens to derail war against pandemic in Africa

Vaccine hesitancy in many parts of Africa has emerged as a potent threat to efforts to mitigate COVID-19 and could considerably counteract wider move to contain the pandemic, despite significant gains made to control the disease in the continent. There is consensus among a cross-section of health experts from the continent that the fight against COVID-19 must address the pockets of apathy and reluctance that now threaten to derail mitigation of the disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines vaccine hesitancy as the delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite availability of vaccine services. Hesitancy is complex and context-specific, varying across time, space and vaccines. “Early evidence from across Africa shows that many are eager to get the vaccine, despite very limite...

10Jun

By Joseph MainaNo Comments

Agriculture, South Africa News

South Africa has reaped significant gains through genetically modified white maize

By Joseph Maina South Africa has reaped significant gains through genetically modified (GM) white maize in the past two decades, with significant gains recorded in the welfare of smallholder farmers who depend on the crop. The successful cultivation of the crop has led to improved food security and pits South Africa as a continental success story in plant biotechnology, given that it was the first GM subsistence crop producer in the world following its adoption of the cultivar in 2001-2002. South Africa’s total welfare benefits attributable to GM white maize between 2001–2018 amount to $694.7 million, notes a study conducted by a combined team from University of Arkansas and Kansas State University in USA, Agricultural Research Council, South Africa, and Ghent University, Belgium. White m...