Don’t rely on GMO seeds as solution to food security – Farmer unions

Two farmer unions have called on the government to resolve the myriad of challenges in Ghana’s agricultural sector, rather than relying on Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) seeds as a solution.

According to the Peasant Farmers Association Ghana (PFAG) and the Centre for Cli­mate Change and Food Security (CCCFS), the introduction of GMOs in the country would not resolve food security issues.

They pointed out that many farmers in the northern and middle belts already produce a significant quantity of food, but face challenges such as lack of ready markets, inadequate storage systems, and poor road infrastruc­ture.

The two groups were reacting to the launch of the pod borer-re­sistant cowpea, the first genetically modified crop developed in the country and approved for com­mercial cultivation in the Northern Region last Thursday.

In a statement released by the Director of Research at CCCFS, Sulemana Issifu, and copied to the Ghanaian Times, the Centre ex­pressed concern about the claims that the cowpea possesses the abil­ity to resist pod borers due to the presence of a gene that produces the CRY1A toxin.

“It is important to highlight that upon reviewing the application documents from the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute, we observed that the levels of toxin present are unusually high com­pared to other transgenic crops.

“Although we acknowledge the absence of evidence regarding the toxicity of these toxins to humans, this remains a concern for us, as the existing data on the issue is inconclusive,” it stated.

It also noted a lack of data re­garding the impact of the crop on beneficial soil microorganisms and other essential pollinators.

It added that if the crop affected these organisms, it could potentially alter the productivity of the soils where it is planted, making it difficult for subsequent crops to thrive.

“These and many more make it imperative that we resist the un­holy intrusion of Ghana’s agro­ecosystem by GMOs. GMOs re­main a tool of corporate control of food production—a gamble we cannot take,” it stress.

In an interview with the Ghanaian Times, an advisory board member of the PFAG, Dr Charles Nyaaba, urged the government to continue invest­ing in local seeds and supporting institutions like the Council for Scientific and Industrial Re­search to improve local varieties that can withstand climatic conditions, rather than relying on donor support.

Dr Nyaaba, who is a for­mer Executive Director of the PFAG, reminded stakeholders in agriculture that GMOs were false solutions and do not address the challenges of food security in Ghana.

He advised CSOs, farmers, and other stakeholders to work together to promote local seeds for planting and consumption.

Dr Nyaaba further said the government’s flagship pro­gramme, Planting for Food and Jobs, was a great initiative but faced many challenges that did not favour farmers.

He called on the government to allow the private sector to lead in the programme’s inputs distribution and implementation.