Genetically Modified Crops In Africa

Author : Matthew A. Schnurr
Publisher : McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP
Page : 277 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2019-11-07
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780228000457

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Africa's Gene Revolution by Matthew A. Schnurr Pdf

As development donors invest hundreds of millions of dollars into improved crops designed to alleviate poverty and hunger, Africa has emerged as the final frontier in the global debate over agricultural biotechnology. The first data-driven assessment of the ecological, social, and political factors that shape our understanding of genetic modification, Africa's Gene Revolution surveys twenty years of efforts to use genomics-based breeding to enhance yields and livelihoods for African farmers. Matthew Schnurr considers the full range of biotechnologies currently in commercial use and those in development - including hybrids, marker-assisted breeding, tissue culture, and genetic engineering. Drawing on interviews with biotechnology experts alongside research conducted with more than two hundred farmers across eastern, western, and southern Africa, Schnurr reveals a profound incongruity between the optimistic rhetoric that accompanies genetic modification technology and the realities of the smallholder farmers who are its intended beneficiaries. Through the lens of political ecology, this book demonstrates that the current emphasis on improved seeds discounts the geographic, social, ecological, and economic contexts in which the producers of these crops operate. Bringing the voices of farmers to the foreground of this polarizing debate, Africa's Gene Revolution contends that meaningful change will come from a reconfiguration not only of the plant's genome, but of the entire agricultural system.

Author : Jennifer Thomson
Publisher : CSIRO PUBLISHING
Page : 209 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 2021-01-20
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9781486312665

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GM Crops and the Global Divide by Jennifer Thomson Pdf

Attitudes to GM crops continue to generate tension, even though they have been grown commercially for over 20 years. Negative sentiment towards their development limits their adoption in Western countries, despite there being no evidence of harm to human health. These unfounded concerns about genetically modified crops have also inhibited uptake in many countries throughout Africa and Asia, having a major impact on agricultural productivity and preventing the widespread cultivation of potentially life-saving crops. GM Crops and the Global Divide traces the historical importance that European attitudes to past colonial influences, aid, trade and educational involvement have had on African leaders and their people. The detrimental impact that these attitudes have on agricultural productivity and food security continues to be of growing importance, especially in light of climate change, drought and the potential rise in sea levels – the effects of which could be mitigated by the cultivation of GM and gene-edited crops. Following on from her previous books Genes for Africa, GM Crops: The Impact and the Potential and Food for Africa, Jennifer Thomson unravels the reasons behind these negative attitudes towards GM crop production. By addressing the detrimental effects that anti-GM opinions have on nutrition security in developing countries and providing a clear account of the science to counter these attitudes, she hopes to highlight and ultimately bridge this global divide.

Author : Falck-Zepeda, José Benjamin,Gruère, Guillaume P.,Sithole-Niang, Idah
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 266 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2013-10-02
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780896297951

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Genetically modified crops in Africa by Falck-Zepeda, José Benjamin,Gruère, Guillaume P.,Sithole-Niang, Idah Pdf

A variable climate, political instability, and other constraints have limited agricultural development in African countries south of the Sahara. Genetically modified (GM) crops are one tool for enhancing agricultural productivity and food security despite such constraints. Genetically Modified Crops in Africa: Economic and Policy Lessons from Countries South of the Sahara investigates how this tool might be effectively used by evaluating the benefits, costs, and risks for African countries of adopting GM crops. The authors gather together studies on GM crops’ economic effects and impact on trade, how consumers view such crops, and other issues. They find that GM crops have had, on average, a positive economic effect in the nations where they were used and identify future steps for enhancing GM crop adoption’s positive effects. Promising policy initiatives include making biosafety regulations that do not make GM crop development prohibitively expensive, fostering intraregional trade in GM crops, and providing more and better information about GM crops to consumers who might currently be skeptical of them. These and other findings in Genetically Modified Crops in Africa indicate ways biotechnology can contribute to economic development in Africa south of the Sahara.

Author : Jennifer A. Thomson
Publisher : Juta and Company Ltd
Page : 210 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2002
Category : Nature
ISBN : 1919713573

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Genes for Africa by Jennifer A. Thomson Pdf

Jennifer Thomson separates fact from fiction and explains why and how GM crops can help us combat poverty, starvation and disease in the developing world, in a safe and responsible way. She explains the technology and looks at the differences and similarities between genetic modification, conventional plant breeding, and natural processes such as cross pollination and mutations. There are chapters devoted to controversial issues such as food safety (for GM crops and organically grown food), patents labelling, regulations and controls, and a section dealing with frequently-asked questions. It ends with a focus on Africa and possible future developments in GM technology. Technical terms are explained and appendices provide additional information on testing for allergens, horizontal gene transfer, and international food safety assessment documents. For those who wish to explore the subject further, it also provides a list of more than 60 web sites dealing with issues related to the GM debate.

Author : José Falck-Zepeda,Guillaume Gruère,Idah Sithole-Niang
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2013-09-30
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 0896298329

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Genetically Modified Crops in Africa by José Falck-Zepeda,Guillaume Gruère,Idah Sithole-Niang Pdf

Author : Chambers, Judith A.,Zambrano, Patricia,Falck-Zepeda, José Benjamin,Gruère, Guillaume P.,Sengupta, Debdatta,Hokanson, Karen
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 146 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2014-06-30
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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GM agricultural technologies for Africa: A state of affairs by Chambers, Judith A.,Zambrano, Patricia,Falck-Zepeda, José Benjamin,Gruère, Guillaume P.,Sengupta, Debdatta,Hokanson, Karen Pdf

The African Development Bank (AfDB), in commissioning this report to be prepared by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), highlighted the need for a comprehensive, evidenced-based review of agricultural biotechnology in order to better understand its current status, issues, constraints, and opportunities for Africa. Agricultural biotechnology comprises several scientific techniques (genetic engineering, molecular marker-assisted breeding, the use of molecular diagnostics and vaccines, and tissue cul­ture) that are used to improve plants, animals, and microorganisms. However, in prepar­ing this desktop analysis, IFPRI has focused on genetic modification (GM) technologies in particular and on the agricultural context in which they are being applied, because GM technologies are at the center of the controversy about biotechnology’s role in Africa. In addition, because we have attempted to focus our review on peer-reviewed evidence and documented examples, the preponderance of data presented in the report is focused on genetically modified (also abbreviated GM) crops in use and under development, although we recognize the potential of the technology for livestock, fisheries, and forestry.

Author : Danny Watson
Publisher : Scientific e-Resources
Page : 324 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2019-11-06
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 9781839471902

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Genetically Modified Crops in Agriculture by Danny Watson Pdf

Genetically modified crops are plants used in agriculture, the DNA of which has been modified using genetic engineering methods. In most cases, the aim is to introduce a new trait to the plant which does not occur naturally in the species. Examples in food crops include resistance to certain pests, diseases, or environmental conditions, reduction of spoilage, or resistance to chemical treatments, or improving the nutrient profile of the crop. Recently rapid advances in the development and commercialization of transgenic crops across the world have been witnessed both in terms increased crop coverage and economic benefits. Genetically modified foods are foods derived from genetically modified organisms have had specific changes introduced into their DNA by genetic engineering techniques. The main aim of genetically modified crops is to produce a food that is able to survive even if any harmful chemicals or pesticides or herbicides are sprayed. Other benefit of genetically modified crops is to make food stay fresh for a long time. Some of genetically modified crops and food are corn, tomato, beets, potatoes, sprouts and alfalfa. It involves the insertion or deletion of genes. Examples in non-food crops include production of pharmaceutical agents, biofuels, and other industrially useful goods, as well as for bioremediation. This book covers those facets, from the source of the gene, compositions of a gene construct, method of gene delivery, and result of gene integration and expression, to effects of the transgene on plants and the ecology.

Author : Steven Were Omamo,Klaus von Grebmer
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 317 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2005-01-01
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780896297371

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Biotechnology, Agriculture, and Food Security in Southern Africa by Steven Were Omamo,Klaus von Grebmer Pdf

This book brings together experts from within and outside Africa to discuss the current status of biotechnology in southern Africa, the conceptual framework for multistakeholder dialogues, the political and ethical issues surrounding biotechnology, food safety and consumer issues, biosafety, intellectual property rights, and trade involving genetically modified foods.

Author : Robert L. Paarlberg,Robert Paarlberg
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Page : 254 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2009-08-05
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780674033474

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Starved for Science by Robert L. Paarlberg,Robert Paarlberg Pdf

Biotechnology.

Author : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine,Division on Earth and Life Studies,Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources,Committee on Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 607 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2017-01-28
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780309437387

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Genetically Engineered Crops by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine,Division on Earth and Life Studies,Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources,Committee on Genetically Engineered Crops: Past Experience and Future Prospects Pdf

Genetically engineered (GE) crops were first introduced commercially in the 1990s. After two decades of production, some groups and individuals remain critical of the technology based on their concerns about possible adverse effects on human health, the environment, and ethical considerations. At the same time, others are concerned that the technology is not reaching its potential to improve human health and the environment because of stringent regulations and reduced public funding to develop products offering more benefits to society. While the debate about these and other questions related to the genetic engineering techniques of the first 20 years goes on, emerging genetic-engineering technologies are adding new complexities to the conversation. Genetically Engineered Crops builds on previous related Academies reports published between 1987 and 2010 by undertaking a retrospective examination of the purported positive and adverse effects of GE crops and to anticipate what emerging genetic-engineering technologies hold for the future. This report indicates where there are uncertainties about the economic, agronomic, health, safety, or other impacts of GE crops and food, and makes recommendations to fill gaps in safety assessments, increase regulatory clarity, and improve innovations in and access to GE technology.

Author : Idah Sithole-Niang
Publisher : BoD – Books on Demand
Page : 176 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2022-05-18
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781839698750

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Genetically Modified Plants and Beyond by Idah Sithole-Niang Pdf

Genetically Modified Plants and Beyond takes a fresh look at methodologies used in developing crop plants, discusses genome editing, and interrogates the regulatory approaches that different countries are proposing to use to regulate genetically modified (GM) vs genome-edited crop plants. The book focuses on root and tuber crops, ginger, and industrial/oil seed crops. A chapter on the production of pharmaceuticals in plants is also included. Going beyond the usual debate, the book includes case studies from Africa on the adoption of GM crops.

Author : John Komen,David Wafula
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2013-05
Category : Africa, East
ISBN : 1442224754

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Trade and Tribulations by John Komen,David Wafula Pdf

Agricultural biotechnology holds great promise in contributing to Africa's socioeconomic development. This is confirmed by a growing body of literature analyzing the positive economic effects at the farm level, and also for a growing number of farmers in Africa. However, with the exception of Burkina Faso, Egypt, and South Africa, the African countries have been slow adopters of biotechnology crops for cultivation. Trade concerns are often cited in sub-Saharan Africa as a reason for taking a precautionary approach to genetically modified (GM) crop adoption, which may result in forgone benefits for farmers and society at large and have a negative impact on a country's food security situation. This study aims to evaluate the barriers that the adoption of GM crops by the East African countries poses for their trade with neighboring countries, with their other trade partners in Africa, and with their international trade partners. It is based on a literature review of recent studies analyzing the actual and potential trade implications of adopting GM crops, with a particular focus on the East African countries. This literature review is complemented by an analysis of recent agricultural trade statistics. In addition, the perspectives of key stakeholders and policymakers in East Africa have been included vis-a-vis the trade implications of adopting GM crops.

Author : Noël Merino
Publisher : Greenhaven Publishing LLC
Page : 219 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2014-07-09
Category : Young Adult Nonfiction
ISBN : 9780737769104

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Genetically Modified Food by Noël Merino Pdf

This essential collection of essays explores issues relating to Genetically Modified Foods, with an emphasis on exploring world attitudes, rather than American-centric. This allows readers to understand an issue with a universal sensitivity. Essays sources provide viewpoints from Switzerland, India, Asia, South America, European Union, Australia, Philippines, Africa, Nigeria, America, and the United Kingdom. Readers will evaluate attitudes toward genetically modified food around the world. They will look at the impact of genetically modified crops on agriculture and health. Regulation issues are also presented.

Author : Kristin Wedding,Johanna Nesseth Tuttle
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Page : 40 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2013-10-16
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781442227880

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Pathways to Productivity by Kristin Wedding,Johanna Nesseth Tuttle Pdf

This report provides an overview of the debate in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda over genetically modified (GM) crops and their potential role in improving food security among smallholder farmers. Specifically, in each country, it examines regulatory structures, science and research capacity, communication and public opinion, the views of smallholder farmers, and the forecast for adoption of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Additionally, it examines regional regulatory efforts and potential trade impacts. Finally, the report provides a set of policy recommendations targeted toward the U.S. government, focus country governments, the donor community, and nongovernmental organizations.

Author : Per Pinstrup-Andersen,Ebbe Schiøler
Publisher : Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Page : 178 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2003-05-12
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780195664904

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Seeds of Contention by Per Pinstrup-Andersen,Ebbe Schiøler Pdf

In recent years the media have reported on the increasing use of genetically modified crops in agriculture. This text focuses attention on the less discussed issues of the potential benefits of genetically modified crops for developing countries.