How important are GM crops in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Most of the traditional food crops we use in Africa are not benefiting from GM interventions yet. The GM crops used are mostly products from developed nations like maize, soybeans, canola, and cotton. But things are moving. There is a cassava plant virus that is resistant to conventional treatments. GM varieties that can handle this virus are in a field trial stage and might be available in four to five years. Cowpeas are another example. They are one of the most important crops in West Africa and an important source of protein. But yields suffer a lot from an insect pest called Maruca. Farmers do a lot of spraying to contain this, but still lose out. Field trials with GM cowpeas that are resistant to the Maruca larvae have just started in Ghana, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso. In two to three years, farmers should be able to use these improved varieties. Critics say that GM-crops only benefit the big seed manufacturers. What is your experience? Well if you look at pest resistant GM cotton
