FOCUS ON AFRICA
http://www.gmwatch.org/p1temp.asp?pid=37&page=1

"like many GMO sceptics, ActionAid believes government should address the real constraints facing peasants, such as shortage of land, credit, lack of resources and markets, instead of focusing on risky technologies that have no track record in addressing hunger." (item 1)

"GMOs are a danger to food security and our indigenous gene pool. Patented GMO crops threaten farmers’ ability to save and share their indigenous seeds which have stood the test of time." - Statement from the Kenya Small Scale Farmers Forum (item 2)

1.Farmers, Civil Society Still Opposed to GMOs
2.Kenyan Farmers Fear GMOs + Statement from the Kenya Small Scale Farmers Forum
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1.Farmers, Civil Society Still Opposed to GMOs
Denis Ocwich
New Vision (Kampala)
August 25, 2004 [shortened]
http://allafrica.com/stories/200408250304.html

Farmers and civil society organisations in Uganda are still skeptical about plans to introduce Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in the country.

At a national GMO symposium at Ridar Hotel, Seeta in Mukono recently, farmers groups expressed fear that GMOs might be destructive to the environment and harmful to human health.

They argued that GMO methods do not take into consideration the interests of small-scale farmers because the multinational companies that are hyping the biotechnology are targeting large-scale farms where huge quantities of seeds and agro-chemicals are required.

Other than embrace GMOs, participants resolved that the solution lies in rectifying the structural problems facing agriculture in the country. They said the existing technologies and crop varieties, including the ones developed by National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) centres, could yield better than GMOs.

Davis Ddamulira of Centre for Development Initiatives (CDI), said the Government has to inject more money in agricultural research to improve the available traditional methods of farming.

Wanzala noted that GMO multilaterals are gradually taking over agricultural research and supply of seeds, for their own gains. He said such GM seeds (better called terminator seeds) cannot be kept for planting the following season because the suppliers want farmers to keep buying from them every planting season.

In Africa, genetic engineering research is taking place in Cameroon, Kenya, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Uganda and Zimbabwe. South Africa is the leading GMO country on the continent.

Although the Government has accepted importation of GM foods, it is yet to officially accept growing of such foods in the country.

It is believed that since there is no mechanism to monitor or test foods entering the country, a lot of unlabelled GM foods could be abundantly and unconsciously consumed by Ugandans.

Suspected GMO products include imported cornflakes, USA oil, biscuits, relief maize and soya milk, among others.

Dr. Charles Mugoya, the officer in-charge biotechnology and biosafety at the National Council of Science and Technology Secretariat, said there were no GM crops in the country yet but he could not rule out the availability of GM foods on the markets.

Ddamulira said Uganda, being the leading supplier of organic products to the world markets, especially the United Kingdom which is opposed to GMOs, would gain more if the country developed organic rather than GM methods.

...like many GMO sceptics, ActionAid believes government should address the real constraints facing peasants, such as shortage of land, credit, lack of resources and markets, instead of focusing on risky technologies that have no track record in addressing hunger.
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2.Kenyan farmers fear GMOs
Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2004
Subject: Kenyan Farmers Fear GMOs
From: Gaia <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
To: <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Farmer leaders in Kenya came out against GMOs in agriculture this week, in a strongly-worded statement which expressed their fears that patented genetically engineered crops will threaten their livelihoods, indigenous seeds, environment, and human and animal health.

The Kenya Small Scale Farmers Forum, a coalition of regional small scale farmers groups across the Kenya, were responding to the Kenyan government’s apparent enthusiasm for GM crops, and the investment of millions of dollars into GM research. Farmers accused multinational companies of arm-twisting the government, and called for the inclusion of small scale farmers in policy formulation on agriculture research.

Interestingly, Kenyan farmers were particularly worried by anecdotal stories from around the world of animal health being affected by GM feed. For small scale farmers, livestock is a crucial aspect of mixed farming. (Unfortunately the article below seems to have confused their concerns about sterility of GM-fed sheep in Germany with sterility of human shepherds!)

80% of Kenyan farmers are small scale farmers. And of these small scale farmers, 80% save their seed. Patented GM crops will be prohibitively expensive for the majority of these, and threaten the majority of Kenyans’ way of life. The farmers are certain that GMOs pose a threat to food security and farmers livelihood, and should have no place in Kenyan agriculture.

However, as Kenya faces a famine caused by widespread drought, many fear that food aid containing GM maize seed will be distributed and planted, contaminating the indigenous gene pool.

Best wishes,

Teresa

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1. Multi-National Firms Accused Over GMOs
Article from The East African Standard (Kenya). Date: 23 August 2004
http://allafrica.com/stories/200408230733.html
2. The Thika Declaration on GMOs
Statement from the Kenya Small Scale Farmers Forum
20 August, 2004
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1. Multi-National Firms Accused Over GMOs
Article from The East African Standard (Kenya). Date: 23 August 2004
http://allafrica.com/stories/200408230733.html

The newly-registered Kenya Small-Scale Farmers Forum yesterday claimed that the Government was being arm-twisted by multinationals to accept genetically modified food whose consumers become infertile as recently proved by German sheepkeepers.

The group representing farmers, pastoralists and the fishermen further expressed fear that as famine continued, some developed countries offering food aid might slip into the country the terminator technology seeds that threaten farmers' ability to save and share indigenous seeds which have stood the test of time.

During a news conference in Thika, national chairman Moses Shaha said GMOs posed a great danger to food security and other indigenous gene pool because they were dormant and would mix through cross pollination.

This will hand over control of our food system to multi-national companies who have created these seeds for financial gain increasing costs for farmers through the use of agrochemicals association with GM crops replacing the need for farm labour.

Shaha said GMOs threatened Kenya's environment as it was contaminative and unfriendly to bio diversity posing a threat to the existence of indigenous seeds, organic farming system, human and animal health.

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2. The Thika Declaration on GMOs
Statement from the Kenya Small Scale Farmers Forum
20 August, 2004

We, the Kenya Small Scale Farmers Forum leaders, representing crop farmers, pastoralists and fisherfolk, do declare today, August 20th 2004, that farming is our livelihood and not just a trade. Farming has been passed down from generation to generation, and is now threatened by Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

GMOs are a danger to food security and our indigenous gene pool. Patented GMO crops threaten farmers’ ability to save and share their indigenous seeds which have stood the test of time. Thus they will reduce our seed security and food security, without the long and short term effects on our health and environment being known. GMOs will hand control of our food systems to the multinational companies, who have created these seeds for financial gain, and not for our need.

These new seeds may create conflict between farmers due to the risks of cross pollination from GMO to non GMO crops leading to contamination between farms.

GMOs will increase costs for farmers. This new kind of agriculture has been produced using a complicated and expensive process called genetic engineering. To make their profits back from the farmers, the companies patent the GMO seeds, which leads to higher costs for farmers, who are then forbidden from saving and sharing their seeds for planting the following season. If the seeds fail, farmers are left in great destitution. The agrochemicals associated with GM crops will oblige farmers to pay the high prices set by the companies, and replace the need for paid farm labour, thereby threatening our livelihoods.

GMOs threaten Kenya’s environment. A clean environment is a fundamental right for all. GMOs on the contrary are contaminative, unfriendly to our biodiversity, and pose a threat to the existence of our indigenous seeds, to organic farming systems, and to human and animal health in general.

Our government is being arm-twisted to accept GMOs by multinationals, without considering the effects on small scale farmers.

Small scale farmers in Kenya should be included in policy formulation on agriculture research and food security. Government should invest in irrigation, improvement of infrastructure, appropriate technologies, marketing, subsidies, credit, farm inputs and better rangeland management, and NOT ON GMOs.

We believe that God created life, and no one can own it, not even Monsanto, Syngenta or other multinational companies. We therefore reject all GMOs in agriculture, and call upon the Kenyan government to respect our indigenous expertise. Therefore to be able to fully understand the effects of GMOs on our livelihoods, health and environment, we demand a twenty-year moratorium on GMOs in Kenya.