Can GMOs Deliver for Africa?

The debate over genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has been raging for 20 years, and there is still more heat than light around the topic. While some developing countries have embraced the technology, much of Africa has followed the European Union’s precautionary approach. So far, the implications of those decisions have not been huge for smallholder agriculture and basic food security because multinational corporations developed the current generation of GMOs with large-scale, industrial agriculture in mind. GM crops in the pipeline, such as vitamin A enhanced “golden rice,” drought tolerant maize, or disease resistant bananas, could be more valuable for smallholder producers and poor consumers—if they ever make it to market. While not a panacea, GMOs could be part of a new green revolution in Africa if governments address the policy and institutional weaknesses that prevented Africa from participating in the first one, and if GM technology continues to develop. Governments should avoid foreclosing the opportunity that GMO technology could create to address climate change effects, tropical crop diseases and pests, and micronutrient deficiencies. To help prepare for a new green revolution in Africa, and leave the door open for GMOs to be part of it, we offer recommendations which include increasing public support for agricultural R&D, developing cost-effective regulatory approaches for GMOs, promoting information exchange about experiences with GMOs, and pursuing South-South cooperation on trade policies. Genetic modification is only one technology among many with the potential to improve agricultural productivity in Africa, and investments in the one should not be at the expense of the others. But it would be unfortunate if an overly cautious approach foreclosed the opportunity to use GMOs to significantly improve productivity or reduce malnutrition.