Kenya eyes GM crops to ensure food security

Kenya is one of the four African countries expected to adopt commercial farming of biotechnology crops as part of efforts to alleviate hunger in the next five years.

A “Global Status of Commercialised Biotech/GM Crops” report cites the move by the government to set up a regulatory authority and enact a biosafety law as an indication that Kenya is likely to join South Africa, Burkina Faso and Egypt in the league of nations to embrace the technology.

The report released by the biotechnology lobby International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) on Tuesday, also mentions ongoing robust research in the country to support its optimistic outlook.

Other countries tipped to catch up with the early pacesetters of biotechnology in Africa are Uganda and Nigeria, which have also eased regulatory bottlenecks and stepped up research.

But like Kenya, they will miss out on the next wave of biotechnology between now and 2015 when another 11 countries are expected to begin growing GM crops.

“Biotech crops have the potential to make a substantial contribution to the 2015 MDG goal of cutting poverty by half by optimising crop productivity,” said Dr Clive James, the ISAAA chairman, while launching the report.

Researchers working on a drought-tolerant maize variety project in Kenya say it should be available to farmers by 2017.

The project called Water Efficient Maize for Africa (Wema), currently at field trial stage, is supported by the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the biotechnology company Monsanto.

Other research efforts in Kenya are geared towards developing pest-resistant cotton, virus-resistant cassava and a sorghum variety enriched with minerals and vitamins.