Controversy around genetically modified organisms (GMO) has been widespread in Ghana since 2013 after the Ghanaian government announced an introduction of GMO technology into the country that same year. Activist groups including Food Sovereignty Ghana, The Coalition For Farmers Rights And Advocacy Against GMOs, Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference, Convention People's Party and individuals have spoken against its introduction. The disputes concern whether organisms procured from genetic engineering should be allowed into the market. Activists consider genetically modified food as a health hazard, "neo-colonialist," and a threat to economic and food sovereignty and national security. The multinational corporations (MNCs) that genetically engineer these seeds do so to assert power and domination over the agricultural abundance of developing countries, as well as to turn a profit.
Ghana's Biosafety Act 831, 2011 has already permitted the introduction of genetically modified (GM) foods. Currently "confined field trials" of GM rice and cowpea in the Ashanti region, and cotton in the 3 northern regions in the country, are under way. There is a temporary injunction on any further GMO commercialization and development until a case brought by Food Sovereignty Ghana against the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has been concluded
Video Genetically modified food controversies in Ghana
History of GMOs in Ghana
The National Seed Trade Association of Ghana (NASTAG) publicly advocates for the inclusion of GM seeds in Ghana for the purpose of aiding their agricultural development and mitigating the affects of climate change on their food sovereignty. The use of GM seeds in Ghana will reduce the amount of chemicals and time that farmers have to spend spraying their crops with pesticides. In 2011, the Biosafety Act was passed in Ghana, which permitted the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to conduct trials of certain GMOs. It is estimated that genetically modified cowpea, one of the GMOs the CSIR has been experimenting with, will be safe to be on the market in Ghana in 2019.
Late 2017, the minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has been advocating for education to be provided to the people of Ghana on GM seeds and GMO products. Through education, he believes that the public will accept and understand the importance of GMOs in assisting Ghana's economy and development. The National Biosafety Authority Board is set to "make decisions on biosafety applications for safe development, transfer, handling, and use of GMOs in Ghana, and address socio-economic issues related to biotechnology and biosafety."
At the same time that Professor Frimpong-Boateng has been advocating for public education on GMO inclusion, Food Sovereignty Ghana is suing the National Biosafety Authority Board for its plans to proceed with the introduction of GM products on the local market. This is Food Sovereignty Ghana's second time suing the Board, the first time back in 2015.
Maps Genetically modified food controversies in Ghana
Plant Breeders Bill controversy
The controversy on GMOs has taken another turn with the discovery that the Ghanaian Parliament is considering Plant Breeders Right Bill, which protects the rights of scientists and corporations to seeds or crops developed for Ghana. Simply put, for the crops in question, the country will have to depend on certified seeds invented by multinational corporations and other GM seed producers, thus surrendering Ghana's food sovereignty to individuals and organizations. Activists believe this could also ruin local farmers who are worth investing in, rather than GMOs.
Pro Plant Breeders Bill opinions have indicated that GMOs and the bill are unrelated. The bill is "to protect the breeders and bring royalty to the breeder and the country" according to Dr. Margaret Ottah Atikpo, Head of the Microbiology Division of the Food Research Institute.
Relationship Between GM Seeds and Farmers
While GM seeds are praised for their resistance to pests, they also present challenges for the farmers using them. Traditionally, farmers are able to save seeds from one season to the next. However, GM seeds are genetically different than non-GM seeds. One of the primary differences is the presence of something called "Terminator Technology." This difference in genetic composition makes it impossible, and illegal for seeds from one season to be replanted in the next. This results in farmers having to purchase more seeds than usual each year. "Year in and year out farmers are losing the seeds from their own plants, and are forced to purchase them anew from seed providers." As a result of having to buy the seeds new every season, farmers are now incurring costs that once did not exist for them.
If Ghana were to publicly accept and implement GM seeds into their agricultural practices, they would not be the first. While these seeds are recognized as a huge step forward in the technological advances of the agricultural industry, farmers need to be aware of the controversy around the industry of GMO products. Current research confirms the notion that using GM seeds will increase crop yields. In addition to producing more crops, GM seeds also require less pesticides. However, there are also negative implications of using GM seeds. In order to use GM seeds, farmers must engage in a contract with the large MNCs controlling the use of these seeds. Often, these contracts will include a "no save seed clause" which prohibits the use of seeds from season to season.
Control of Knowledge
Another controversy surrounding the inclusion of GMOs into developing countries is the control that the MNCs and their seeds will have over the local famers and their lands. Through the biologically enhanced and scientific evolution of the seed, these corporations have managed to change the capabilities of seeds. These newly modified capabilities inherently cast non-genetically modified seeds as primitive. MNCs are going into developing countries with their new and improved seeds discrediting the local knowledge of agricultural practices generated over many years, and the natural evolutions that have occurred. "The industrialization and capitalization of food production and the commodification of food have radically altered our relationships to food, land and place."
Food Sovereignty
Food sovereignty refers to the inherent right of all countries and their people to have control over food production, and also recognizes the political and economic aspects within the agriculture industry. Recognizing the importance of food sovereignty for a country arose after numerous citizens in developing countries faced the world food price crisis in 2007-2008. One of the largest controversies among activists against the incorporation of GMO products is the impact that they have on local communities food sovereignty through the monopolization of seeds and the domination of their agriculture industry. "MNCs exploit the advantages as well as the weaknesses in the various conventions increasingly to monopolize the seed and germplasm industry, without due consideration for the farmers and developing countries." The control over the agricultural seed industry by MNCs possess risks for Ghana's food sovereignty through potentially increasing the income disparity between the farmers in Ghana, and the MNCs profiting off of their use of their GM seeds.
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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