Latest Resources
11 September 2010
The Gates Foundation and Cargill push Soya onto Africa
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is to grant US$8 million to develop a soya value chain in Africa, in partnership with US non-profit organisation TechnoServe and agricultural commodity trading giant Cargill. The announcement was made at the Soy Innovation Africa Conference held in Cape Town 26th and 27th August 2010. The project is meant […]
13 July 2010
ACB condemnation for Comesa’s draconian free trade policy on GMOs
“The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) has been handed a document of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) titled ‘Draft Policy Statements and Guidelines for commercial plantings of GMOs, Trade in GMOs and Emergency Food aid with GMO content.” The Policy intends to undermine and displace more than a decade’s worth of […]
18 June 2010
The race to own Africa’s sorghum genes!
The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) today published a third research paper in its ‘Sorghum Series’ titled, ‘The Sorghum Gene Grab.’ The hunt for agrofuel and drought-tolerant crops has propelled a huge commercial interest in sorghum, including a spate of patent claims over different components of the sorghum genome. Patent claims have been lodged by […]
18 June 2010
The Sorghum Gene Grab
A 16-page booklet by Edward Hammond. Read here. View the press release here.
29 September 2009
GM climate craze seizes African food
Media Release by the African Centre for Biosafety Johannesburg 1 October 2009 The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) has today released a report exposing the patents and players involved in appropriating key African food crops to produce genetically modified (GM) climate crops. According to the report, biotechnology is being used to identify ?climate genes? in […]
10 August 2009
Pirating African heritage: the pillaging continues – Media release
The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB), a non- profit activist organization based in South Africa, has today released a report documenting 7 new cases of suspected biopiracy involving legally untenable patents/patent applications. Some patents have already been granted and others are still pending in Europe and the USA in respect of African resources ranging from […]
27 February 2008
First GMO Seed Scandal in Africa: SA Contaminated the Continent
Seed maize from South Africa, claiming to be pure, has been found to be contaminated with genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The South African branch of US seed giant Pioneer Hi-Bred recently exported contaminated maize seeds to unsuspecting Kenyan farmers. The maize seeds are contaminated with a genetically engineered variety-MON810- belonging to Monsanto that has not […]
19 October 2007
Biopiracy meeting ends with no progress
This article was published in the SUNS #6345, Wednesday, 17 October 2007. Any reproduction or re-circulation of this article requires the permission of the SUNS (sunstwn@bluewin.ch). SUNS #6345 Wednesday 17 October 2007 south-north development monitor SUNS United Nations: Biopiracy meet ends with no progress. Read here.
27 July 2007
GM Crops for Africa? No Thanks!
“Most African countries, like many other poor countries cannot advance GM crop research because their national policies or regulatory systems are not prepared to deal with safety requirement for approving general use.” Joel Cohen of the International Food Policy Research Institute based in Washington DC was reported to have said. Read here.