28 May 2011

The Secretariat of the Biosafety Protocol is engaging in discussions on socio-economic provisions related to decision-making and GMOs (Article 26).

The ACB has submitted several studies from South Africa to enrich this discussion and has applied to participate in online discussions. These documents highlight South African experiences regarding the rejection of GM SpuntaG2 potato for commercial release, GM yeast and grapes for wine production and the failure of the governments Massive Food Production Programme in the Eastern Cape which promotes the use of GM maize for small scale farmers.

The following documents have been submitted: – Covering letter/summary

Read here.

Executive summaries of two socio-economic studies carried out by the ARC on the impact of GM tubermoth-resistant potato entitled: Potential economic benefits of a genetically modified (GM) tubermoth-resistant potato variety in South Africa: an ex-ante socio-economic evaluation for commercial producers.

Read here.

Smallholder potato production activities in South Africa: a socio-economic and technical assessment of five cases in three provinces

Read here.