CSIR-SARI scientist advocates GMOs as effective climate change adaptation strategy

Dr. Jerry Nboyine, a Senior Research Scientist at the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-SARI), Nyankpala Station, says genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are an effective climate adaptation strategy for farmers.

He said climate crisis adversely affected the agricultural sector, affecting farmers’ economic gains and food security hence the need for farmers to adopt GMOs to reduce the impact of climate change on their agricultural production.

Dr. Nboyine said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Wa, in relation to the recent dry spell that hit Northern Ghana, affecting agricultural production and increasing the food insecurity risk in the country, especially the North.

Data from the Upper West Regional Agricultural Department indicate that the drought, which lasted for nearly two months, affected 223,953 hectares of farms including maize and rice.

The drought affected a total of 115, 012 farmers in the region out of which 40,661 were women smallholder farmers.

Dr. Nboyine said over the years scientists had been developing drought-resistant conventional crop varieties to enable farmers adapt to climate change.

He, however, explained that the GM technology allowed scientists to develop crop varieties that had genes or traits that tolerate drought much better than any conventional drought resistant crop variety.

“We actually have GM maize varieties that are drought tolerant, and they can actually give you more than 17.5 per cent yield increment compared to any of the conventional drought tolerant materials under drought conditions,” Dr. Nboyine added.

Apart from the GMOs being drought resistant and high yielding, they could also be flood tolerant and resistant to pests depending on the specific trait.

Reacting to the health concerns of anti-GMO critics, Dr. Nboyine said: “If you are talking about a safe environment, if you are talking about healthy food, if you are talking about safe food, then definitely, GM technology is one of the ways to go.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), GM foods currently sold on the international market had passed safety assessments and were not “likely to present risks for human health.”

It added: “No effects on human health have been shown as a result of the consumption of such foods by the general population in the countries where they have been approved.”

The National Human Genome Research Institute defines GMO as “a plant, animal or microbe in which one or more changes have been made to the genome, typically using high-tech genetic engineering, in an attempt to alter the characteristics of an organism.”

Currently, the CSIR-SARI had engineered the Bt cowpea, a GMO cowpea that was resistant to Maruca Virta (Maruca pod borer) and high-yielding awaiting commercialisation.

It was worth noting that considering their potential to transform agricultural production in Ghana and increase farmers’ economic gains, one needs not to be told that GMOs could contribute significantly to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 1 on eradicating poverty, SDG 2 on zero hunger and SDG 13 on climate action.

It is, therefore, incumbent on the government to support the country’s agricultural research institutions such as the CSIR-SARI to engineer GMOs for commercialisation in the country.

Source: GNA

2 Comments
  1. SayIt AsItIs says

    Are we okay?
    The advance countries are fighting against GMOs and our educated Agriculturallist are saying otherwise.
    We are human.
    Pls can someone educate me?

  2. Justice Ramsey Ortsin says

    It’s rather unfortunate that the so called scientist are imposing GMO into Ghanaians agriculture. The advanced countries know the negative impact of GMO. The draught they are talking about in the Upper West Region is the government inability to solve problems. Whenever there is a spillage in Burkina Faso, those in the north suffers. Common sense should tell you that there must be a Dam to store this spillage which can be used to facilitate the agriculture in the north. Northern region alone can cater for Ghana in terms of food security. For some one’s bais and greediness they want to introduce GMO.. Ghanaians are humans, even animals has their rights. Has the UN development goal helped Ghana ‘s economy. You people should think of Ghana first.

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