Farmers deserve chance to use improved technology on farms – Scientists

Scientists are advocating for farmers in the country to be given the opportunity to use improved technology to boost agricultural production on their farms.

They say this is important to help the nation meet its food security needs and help farmers earn more money.

Programs Assistant at the Programs for Biosafety Systems (PBS) Ghana Abigail Akoto in an interview said the application of technologies like genetically modified organism (GMO) technology to food production should be encouraged to ensure farmers earn maximum benefits from their farms.

“GMO is a tool that can be used to address some of the issues we have in the agric sector like the pest infestation, weed that take over farm fields, climate change. So biotech seeks to address some of these issues with our agric sector so we can reduce use of pesticides so our farmers will have a healthy life,” she noted.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are organisms whose genetic makeup have been altered to introduce beneficial traits including resistance to disease, pests and harsh weather conditions. Ghana is currently undertaking the trials of two GMO crops following the passage of the National Biosafety Act 2011 to allow for the commercialisation of such products.

The GMO cowpea currently under trials at the Savannah Agric Research Institute in Nyankpala has been modified to resist the deadly bollworm pests which can destroy up to 80 percent of produce on cowpea fields. The Nitrogen Efficient, Water Efficient, Salt Tolerant (NEWEST) rice has also been modified to be more efficient in the use of nitrogen and water, and as well be tolerant to salty soils.

But some civil society groups have kicked against the plan to commercialise GMOs, claiming it will negatively impact the agricultural sector. Abigal Akoto disagrees. “Our farmers suffer from various challenges. We think it is about time we moved forward in our agric space. So we can have better crops. So our farmers will have better yields. We can’t look at farmers struggle each day to work on their fields and at the end of the season, they don’t actually even get what they put into their farming business,” she said.

“GMOs are not being imposed on anybody. It’s just a matter of choice. Why can’t we give farmers the opportunity to choose what will work for them. We can’t keep on using chemicals on our field which then seeps into water bodies. If we stick to the old ways of doing agric, our economy will go down. And it is up to our policy makers to make a good decision that will help ensure the development of our country,” Madam Akoto added.

Pro-science group Alliance for Science Fellow, Dennis Baffuor Awuah says the GMO technology will spell a great future for Ghana if adopted. “Biotech will help improve the quality of food as it for example helps avoid presence of pests in food crops. Biotech gives more yield and lowers input costs on farmers. We are not a hungry nation. But we still have farmers incurring losses due to pest attacks. Biotechnology is natural. It is not artificial as the impression has been created. It is not like that. Why shouldn’t we embrace it,” he said.

Baffuor Awuah dismissed concerns GMOs are dangerous to human health. “It’s not the case that GMOs are harmful. From the time of Adam till now, human beings have had the power to control the things around them. Now, we are improving upon the food that we eat. So why not….” he said.

The Alliance for Science fellow is confident the technology will help deal with various challenges including pest attacks on fields. “If there is biotechnology, farmers will see the gains of their actions. Because at the end of the day, if a farmer will plant maize and fall armyworm will wipe it, and there is a technology that can help fight it, why not let our farmers have it. If US is into GMOs, trust me, which country protects its citizens better than the US?” he quizzed.

Mr. Baffuor Awuah added: “What could be more painful than farmers going hungry? You grow your own crops and you don’t have enough to feed yourself because of pest attacks. For me, it’s a choice, it is a technology. We could use this technology as a tool in building Ghana and building Africa.”

By Joe Opoku