Developed countries like Australia must transfer advancements in science and technology, especially biotechnology, to help the poor in Africa achieve food security, economic independence and sustainable rural development, urges Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International's Chief Executive Officer, Florence Wambugu.
There are 800 million hungry people across the world and 25 per cent or 200 million plus are in sub-Saharan Africa alone. "Africa urgently needs agricultural biotechnology, including transgenic crops, to improve food production," said Wambugu, while addressing a biotechnology conference in Melbourne last month, organised by AusBiotech, Australia 's national biotechnology industry association.
As one of nine children growing up on a small farm in Kenya, Dr Wambugu understands that African farmers need more tools to fight plant diseases and overcome other barriers to increase crop production.
Unlike other girls in Africa, she was fortunate to have been encouraged by her mother to study. "My mother was an inspiration and I believed if I studied, I would make a difference in the community," said the renowned agricultural plant pathologist, who has a specialisation in virology and genetic engineering.
After graduating in botany from the University of Nairobi, she moved to the United States to do a Masters in Plant Pathology from North Dakota State University and then completed a doctorate in plant virology, biotechnology, from the University of Bath in the United Kingdom.
She returned to Kenya, and committed herself to working towards improving yields and nutrients in staple foods such as banana, cassava, rice, yam, maize, sweet potato and sorghum. "Sweet potato and other subsistence crops are grown in the backyard. You just dig, wash and eat it raw. There is also a custom in Africa, whereby we gift seedlings to each other, which in other words means sharing the disease. I thought if we immunised the sweet potato seed, we could still share the crop and keep the cultural practice," she said.
Transgenic crops are a sensitive subject in every country.
On the opposite side, detractors including Mr Paul Goettlich delares:
"(Dr Wamgubu) is presently, the director of the African Center of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), which is funded by biotech companies like Pioneer, Monsanto, Novartis and AgrEvo as well as government agencies like the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)."
"In short, Dr. Wambugu, knowingly or not, is aiding the present-day colonialization of Africa by transnational corporations (TNC) such as Monsanto. "
"Few of the promises by that powerful industry have come to fruition. The crops do not produce more or reduce the amounts of pesticides used. More importantly, in the case of Africa, the poor cannot afford the additional cost of the product. Through globalization, biotech crop patents will bind the poor of Africa to the TNC until the end of time. Ask Percy Schmeiser, the Saskatchewan farmer whom Monsanto sued, about the benevolence of the biotech industry."
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