Latest Resources
28 September 2009
Patents, Climate Change and African Agriculture: Dire Predictions
Uncertainty and apprehension often afford opportunity to the cunning. This is certainly the case with climate change. The multinational seed and agrochemical industry see climate change as a means by which to further penetrate African agricultural markets by rhetorically positioning itself, even if implausibly, as having the solution to widespread climate concerns. Their so-called “final […]
31 August 2009
Genes from Africa: the colonisation of African DNA
“You people. We thought you folks had taken everything you could. You took our land, you took our homes. You stole our pottery and our songs and our blankets and our designs. You took our language and, in some places, you even took our children. You snatched at our religion and at our women. You […]
19 June 2009
Revised African Model Law Biosafety Strategy Briefing June 2009
Haidee Swanby of the African Centre for Biosafety attended a meeting hosted by the African Union during May 2009 in Arusha, Tanzania on various biosafety initiatives of importance to the continent. In this briefing paper Haidee discusses the meeting and the issues and challenges lying ahead for the continent. Read here.
21 May 2009
Marker assisted selection (MAS): Key issues for Africa
‘Marker Assisted Selection’ uses molecular markers as tools in a plant or animal breeding programme to select for important agricultural traits, such as nutritional quality, drought tolerance, disease and pest resistance. It has been suggested that MAS has the potential to increase food production and help initiate a new Green Revolution in Africa. A much […]
19 February 2008
The Geopolitics of Agrofuels
OPENING PANDORA’S BOX: GMOS, FUELISH PARADIGMS AND SOUTH AFRICA’s BIOFUELS STRATEGY. Read here.
14 February 2008
Displacing Africa’s Indigenous Food: Monsanto & AATF’s GM Cowpea Project
Nairobi based African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) and Monsanto are set to introduce genetically engineered cowpeas in the coming years into the fields and tables of Africa. It will use Nigeria and Burkina Faso as key entry points, with Ghana, Cameroon, Niger and Mali comprising the second tier of countries that will be targeted. The […]
23 November 2007
GMOs in Africa: Food and Agriculture. Status Report 2007
The African Centre for Biosafety has the pleasure of launching our new book titled, “GMOs in Africa: food and agriculture: Status report 2007. This booklet is the 4th in our Biosafety, Biopolitics and Biopiracy Series. ISBN: 978-0-620-40099-2 By: Shenaz Moola and Victor Munnik Edited by: Mariam Mayet and Rose Williams Layout and design by: Lesley […]
20 August 2007
African Model Law on Safety in Biotechnology
African Model Law on Safety in Biotechnology 2007 Read briefing here.
27 May 2007
Trojan Horse for GMOs
After more than 10 years of genetically modified (GM) crop plants being grown in the world, only South Africa out of 53 countries on the African continent have commercial plantings of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Nine countries: Burkina Faso; Egypt; Kenya; Morocco; Senegal; South Africa; Tanzania; Zambia; and Zimbabwe have reported field trials of GMOs, […]
11 February 2007
Malawi – GMO Legislation
The government of Malawi published its biosafety draft regulations in The Malawi Gazette Supplement on 13 September 2002 (“biosafety law”), at the height of the GM food aid controversy when several countries in Southern Africa imposed restrictions on the acceptance of genetically modified food aid from the United States. Malawi accepted the GM food aid, […]