EXCERPT: "As Kenya faces yet another famine, food experts say that irrigation and adoption of genetically modified (GM) crops could be the way out of the perennial hunger problem."

This is not the first time that GM has been touted as the answer to famine in Kenya. The last time an article entitled, "Transgenic sweet potato could end Kenyan famine" told us, "Ongoing drought in Kenya has caused other staple crops like maize (corn) and rice to fail in some areas, making the sweet potato even more crucial to local communities."

That was back in 2000. It wasn'tt until 4 years later that it beame clear that the genetically engineered sweet potato "being hailed as a potential solution for food shortages in Kenya", in the words of the article, actually yielded less than normal sweet potatoes. ('Monsanto's showcase
project in Africa fails' - New Scientist, Vol 181 No. 2433, 7 February 2004)
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=2561

Excerpt from the article below:

"Dr Wambugu, who was behind the production of the first genetically modified sweet potato in Africa in the early 1990s, says that GMOs are the only way out of the food crises in less developed countries. She says that biotechnology can easily develop drought and pest resistant crops."

Biotechnology can easily develop drought resistant crops?

"Evaluation of claims that biotechnology can produce salt-tolerant crops reveals that, after ten years of research using transgenic plants to alter salt tolerance, the value of this approach has yet to be established in the field. Biotechnologists have reasons for exaggerating their abilities to
manipulate plants.

"If 'biotechnology' is to contribute tolerant crops, these crops may still be decades from commercial availability. The generation of drought tolerant crops is likely to have a similar period of development."

- Professor Tim Flowers
School of Biological Sciences, University of Sussex
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=1564

Note also how the scientist who hyped the now failed GM sweet potato project for so many years has to reach beyond genetic engineering when it comes to suggesting biotech success stories:

"One example of successful application of biotechnology has been the experiment involving farmers growing tissue-culture bananas in East Africa. Farmers who have participated in the trials have trebled their incomes and doubled their yields."

Recently Wambugu trumpeted another biotech success with eucalyptus trees but the suspicion is that these are also most likely the product of tissue culture and not GM.

Note also how the article links irrigation and biotech as if the availability of water and GM were all part of the same wave of the future!

For more on Wambugu:
http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=131&page=W
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GMOs the Way Out of Hunger
Gordon Opiyo
The East African Standard (Nairobi, Kenya)
August 1, 2004
http://allafrica.com/stories/200408020497.html

As Kenya faces yet another famine, food experts say that irrigation and adoption of genetically modified (GM) crops could be the way out of the perennial hunger problem.

Top government officials have in the past two months issued statements that suggest the country may be taking some radical steps to seek alternative ways of producing food.

While opening a bio-safety greenhouse complex at the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute's National Agricultural Research Laboratories Centre at Kabete in June, President Mwai Kibaki affirmed that the government strongly supports the use of GM crops and other modern scientific technologies to boost agriculture.

He said: "We must embrace and apply modern science and technology in farming. Indeed, there is evidence that countries that have embraced modern agricultural technologies have improved economic performance, reduced poverty and ensured food security for their people."

And early this week, Vice-President Moody Awori stated that the government would seek to aggressively increase the area under irrigation to boost food production. While receiving food donations from a number of well-wishers in his office, the VP announced that the government would put in place a well thought out irrigation strategy that would ensure that the country is self sufficient in food production.

Clearly, the two options seem to be the most practical way to combat food crises, but both have some major hurdles to be overcome before full exploitation in Kenya.

For instance, there is now a very huge disagreement between the United States and the European Union over the use of GM technology. Those opposed to GMOs say that the technology has not been adequately tested to assess the harmful side effects.

In November last year, the United Nations Bio-Safety Protocol allowed countries, under international law, to ban food imports containing GMOs that they think are unsafe. Immediately after the advisory from the UN, the US, the biggest contributor of relief food to the World Food Programme, announced that it would not guarantee that its food aid would not necessarily contain GMOs. The US is the leading country in the production of GMOs.

While registering his support for GMOs, Kibaki said that he was fully aware of the ongoing debate on the application of GMOs. He said that Kenya would apply biotechnology within the existing bio-safety structure, national statutes and international obligations.

He announced that the Government and other players had introduced comprehensive guidelines for the use of biotechnology research. "The development of a biotechnology policy is at an advanced stage. Bills to support this policy are being prepared for consideration in Parliament," he said.

Dr Florence Wambugu, a scientist and leading proponent of GMOs in Kenya, has on several occasions argued that the government should fully embrace the technology.

Dr Wambugu, who was behind the production of the first genetically modified sweet potato in Africa in the early 1990s, says that GMOs are the only way out of the food crises in less developed countries. She says that biotechnology can easily develop drought and pest resistant crops. One example of successful application of biotechnology has been the experiment involving farmers growing tissue-culture bananas in East Africa. Farmers who have participated in the trials have trebled their incomes and doubled their yields.

On irrigation, experts say the country currently uses only 16 per cent of its potential. During last year's World Water Forum, Kenya's irrigation potential was widely discussed. According to Mercy Karanja of the Kenya National Farmers Union, the irrigation potential in Kenya is estimated at 540,000 hectares out of which only 87,000 ha is currently in use.

Lack of a comprehensive national irrigation policy and a legal framework for irrigation development have been cited as some of the greatest impediments to irrigation in the country. The Irrigation Act of 1966 only mandated the National Irrigation Board to administer, coordinate and manage public irrigation schemes. But due to corruption and mismanagement, most of the schemes are now not operational. The operational ones are performing below the actual potential.