Latest Resources
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 […]
21 May 2009
South African GMO Biohazard Maps
GMO trials in South Africa in 2007: Who is doing what and where? Questions around GMO field trials in South Africa continue to be asked, “Where exactly are they happening, when will there be adequate environmental risk assessment and post-release monitoring, what are the effects on neighbours of GMO field trials and what are the […]
15 May 2009
SNAPSHOT: South Africa facing a tsunami of risky GMOs
The African Centre for Biosafety has closely monitored GMO approvals in South Africa for several years. Several far-reaching changes are currently taking place. A wave of new GMOs are expected to flood the South African market during 2009, as the backlog of commodity import permits that have been stalled since 2005, are about to be […]
6 March 2009
Case Study: South Africa’s Traceability and Segregation systems for GM Grains
During 13-17 March 2006, the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol Biosafety (‘Biosafety Protocol’) will try, after several previous unsuccessful attempts, to craft minimum standards for a global segregation, traceability and accountability system to apply to the cross border movement of bulk shipments of genetically modified (GM) grain. The mechanisms of such a system will depend […]
28 January 2009
GMOs in South Africa – 2008 Overviews
From January 2007 to July 2008 the GMO Executive Council, the governmental body responsible for granting GMO permits in South Africa, granted a staggering 425 new permits for import, export, commodity clearance and general and trial release. The vast majority of these permits were for commodity imports of GM maize from Argentina for use in […]
30 April 2008
“Knowledge not for Sale” – A Briefing Paper by the African Centre for Biosafety
The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) is a non-profit, activist NGO based in South Africa, specialising in promoting biosafety and challenging biopiracy, agrofuels and the commodification of biological resources and associated traditional knowledge. Read more here.
5 March 2008
Hot potato in South Africa
GM potatoes in South Africa: a critical analysis, is an ACB publication written by Vanessa Black. Read here.
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 […]