A recently-released Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) study estimates that current activism against genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has created significant obstacles for its adoption in the world’s poorest nations and will cost them $1.5 trillion by 2050. These campaigns have also created significant challenges for the development and adoption of genetically modified crops in general, according to the study.
“There are a lot of misperceptions about GMO technology around the globe that are leading to barriers to adoption and trade for biotechnology,� said Dean Taylor, an Iowa farmer who leads the U.S. Grains Council’s Biotechnology Advisory Team.
“The Council is committed to working with policy makers and policy influencers to remove these barriers and develop policies that are science-based, risk-appropriate and consistent. These strong policy guidelines make it easier to originate grain from more sources, ensuring a reliable supply for feed and food uses, lower costs and enhanced diets.�
Smallholder farmers in developing countries are among the biggest beneficiaries of agricultural biotechnology, which continues to offer yield and environmental benefits around the globe. However, the African continent in particular has lagged in GM adoption, according to the study, with just three of 54 countries in Africa currently growing any biotech-improved crops.
The ITIF report said that the two greatest barriers in these countries were regulations limiting GMO use and export limits, which have largely been driven by the Europe Union. The EU purchases six times as many goods from Africa’s farms as the United States does, which means that African farmers are more likely to adjust their production to fit EU regulations.
While the EU has approved some varieties of GM soybeans, corn and corn co-products for feed and food uses, many African farmers and their government officials assume the EU is 100 percent non-GM because of differences between the European media’s reporting on biotechnology and the reality of biotech use within the EU’s feed and livestock industries.
“In the past, the Council worked with select Sub-Saharan African countries to advance the acceptance of biotechnology,� Taylor said. “Today, we are once again examining the region as Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing a severe drought and needs to import corn and/or corn co-products.�
For example, in the midst of the worst drought in two decades and reports that only eight weeks of corn remain in the country, Zimbabwe’s Grain Millers Association asked for permission to import GMO corn in December. Despite the country’s needs, its Agricultural Minister Joseph Made told lawmakers in February that all corn imported as food aid will be inspected to ensure it does not contain GMOs.
Since this announcement, local crop researchers and scientists have been pushing for a policy change to ensure the country’s food security. Zimbabwe consumes around 1.7 million metric tons (66.9 million bushels) of corn annually and will likely need to import corn before the harvest in March 2016.
The full ITIF report is accessible here https://itif.org/publications/2016/02/08/suppressing-growth-how-gmo-opposition-hurts-developing-nations.