Anybody who has heard of genetically modified (GM) crops has also heard that we in Africa must accept them or face starvation. The primary message is that GM crops have been developed for the poor and hungry. This is a highly emotional argument put forward by the companies that develop GM technology. However, when we look into the past two decades of GM crop production, we find that GM technology benefits the developers of GM technology, while farmers and society pay the price.

GM crops are designed to be used in large-scale industrial farming systems. In such systems, single crops are grown on endless hectares of land. Industrial farmers use vast land areas, expensive machinery, irrigation, fertilisers, pesticides, and herbicides, and generally have access to credit and good markets.

Read the fact sheet here.