Latest Resources
5 February 2024
Game-changer for regulation of genome editing and new tech as SA’s Ag Minister overrules Industry...
PRESS RELEASE 5 February 2024 The African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), welcomes the final decision taken by the South African Minister of Agriculture Ms Thoko Didiza, in terms of section 19 of the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) Act of 1997, to uphold the October 2021 decision of the Executive Council (EC) that the risk assessment […]
30 January 2024
No to GM wheat!
Food sovereignty alliance from Latin America, Africa, and Asia approaches seven UN Special Rapporteurs for urgent intervention to block cultivation and trade of GM wheat HB4 To date over 100 organisations endorse this submission. Please note the deadline for endorsements is Wednesday 15 February. PRESS RELEASE 30 January 2024 On 26 January 2024, a submission […]
26 September 2023
Ambitious action to phase out world’s most dangerous pesticides urged
UPDATE: Anna Shevel, network coordinator for Unpoison SA, a civil society network united behind effecting legislative reform of agrichemical policy, recently joined Pippa Hudson on CapeTalk to unpack the call on governments, policymakers and other stakeholders attending the Fifth International Conference on Chemical Management to urgently phase out highly hazardous pesticides. Explore some of ACB’s […]
21 August 2023
South Africa’s list of highly hazardous pesticides researched and published by the network Unpoison
UPDATE: On 21 February 2025, Unpoison SA published an update of the database of highly hazardous pesticides registered for use in South Africa that they initially published two years earlier. Click here to read the press release. Click here for the updated database. 21 August 2023 This publicly available list of Highly Hazardous Pesticides, hitherto […]
17 August 2023
South African People’s Tribunal on AgroToxins welcomes UN Expert’s assessment highlighting human ...
UPDATE: UN Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, Dr Marcos Orellana, recently released his country visit report on South Africa. Read the report here. He will present the report, among others, at the 57th Human Rights Council Session in Geneva on […]
26 July 2023
High Court Decision on GM ‘bogus’ drought tolerant maize – significant blow to advancement of env...
— Press release — On 27 June 2023, Justice Tolmay handed down her judgment on the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB)’s application to review the decisions of South Africa’s Executive Council (EC): Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) Act, the GMO Appeal Board, and the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, which approved Monsanto/Bayer’s genetically modified (GM) […]
22 May 2023
GM WHEAT OUT OF AFRICA!
Groundswell support for rejection of GM wheat approval in South Africa Johannesburg, South Africa, May 2023 (Haga clic aquí para ver en español) (Clique aqui para ver em português) From across South Africa, the rest of the African continent, and the world, 85 organisations representing millions of small-scale farmers, workers, and consumers have strongly supported […]
3 April 2023
REFLEXIONS DES AGRICULTEURS ZIMBABWEENS SUR LA FOIRE AUX SEMENCES PAYSANNES D’AFRIQUE DE L’OUESTS...
La 7e foire annuelle aux semences paysannes d’Afrique de l’Ouest, organisée par le Comité ouest-africain de semences paysannes (COASP), s’est tenue à Zoungbonou, au Bénin, du 9 au 11 mars 2023. Elle a rassemblé 75 exposants de 25 pays, principalement de la communauté ouest-africaine, mais aussi des agriculteurs d’Afrique de l’Est, des représentants du gouvernement […]
28 March 2023
REFLECTIONS FROM ZIMBABWEAN FARMERS ON WEST AFRICA PEASANTS’ SEED FAIR
The 7th annual West Africa Peasants’ Seed Fair, hosted by the West African Committee for Farmers’ Seeds (Comité Ouest Africain de Semences Paysannes – COASP), was held in Zoungbonou, Benin, from 9-11 March 2023, bringing together 75 exhibitors from 25 countries, predominantly from the West African community but also including farmers from East Africa, government officials and […]
3 March 2023
GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FRAMEWORK AND SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY: MISSED OPPORTUNITY FOR BIOSAFETY AND BIODIVE...
– By ACB Research and Advocacy Officer Sabrina Masinjila & Executive Director Mariam Mayet For several years, the ACB has engaged at multiple levels with the development of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). In the lead up to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Conservation’s fifteenth Conference of Parties (COP 15), held in Montreal, Canada in […]