Between food quality and quantity for all in Africa: what they refuse to tell us about GMO foods

Abstract

Climate change, land globalisation, agro-industrial development and large-scale farming are some of the challenges that are affecting the quality and quantity of food available for Africans. Green Revolution was introduced in the 1970s but failed because Africa was said to have not ripped for such technology. Introduction of globalisation where forces of demand and supply determine what, when, where and how to allocate factors of production promotes GM food production at a commercial level. The implication of this is large scale food production, but for export for animal feeds, industrial inputs and sometimes to feed home states of multi-national corporations; the hen that is laying golden eggs hardly benefit from it. With the imposition of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) plants and animals to the continent by MNCs and the Belinda and Bill Gates Foundation, the continent is losing its organic foods and encouraged to go for gene-modified animals and plants, only to the benefit of multi-national pharmaceutical companies (MPCs) who produce drugs for ailments that accompany GM food consumption. This paper aims to contextualise this problem through the political economy model. We conclude by advocating for small and medium scale farming free of GM inputs in the continent, which women and girls are playing invaluable roles, so as to create employment and encourage sustainable food systems through organic food production, distribution, and consumption.

Keywords: GMO, Large scale farming, MNCs, Africa, Political economy