Planting the future: opportunities and challenges for using ... - EASAC

3 The connections between the EU and Africa
Summary of emerging points in Chapter 3
• Evidence indicates that EU policy, practices and
perspectives have sometimes constrained the use of
crop genetic improvement technologies in African
countries, creating difficulties for scientists, farmers
and policy-makers.
• The situation across Africa is diverse but there is
increasing activity to characterise and cultivate GM
crops that help to address local needs in tackling
biotic and abiotic stress as well as provide nutrient
fortification.
• Academies in Africa have important roles in
identifying science and technology priorities,
strengthening centres of excellence, and contributing
science-based advice to support policy-making and
public debate.
• There are significant opportunities for informationsharing
and R&D partnership between Africa and
the EU, informed by local priorities and acting to
strengthen local systems in Africa. There is also a
continuing role for academies in the EU and Africa to
work together in analysing and addressing science
and policy issues for agricultural innovation.
3.1 Prospects for agricultural biotechnology
in Africa
Agriculture accounts for about two-thirds of full-time
employment in Africa and more than half of export
earnings. Contrary to what is often surmised to be its
traditional image, much of African agriculture has been
dynamic and adaptive (Government Office of Science,
2011). However, this success must be progressively
amplified, because increased production still lags behind
population growth, a deficit likely to be exacerbated by
new pressures from changing consumption patterns,
degradation of natural resources and climate change.
Most (65%) of the global increase in climate-related
hunger is projected to occur in Africa 24 .
Academies of science worldwide have previously
demonstrated their commitment to working collectively
on the analysis of problems and solutions for agricultural
productivity in Africa. In their comprehensive report, the
InterAcademy Council (IAC, 2004) described the problems
of African food security, characterised the range of farming
systems and assessed the state of R&D. Among the wideranging
opportunities identified for African countries to
increase crop yield and improve nutritional value is the
possibility to capitalise on and realise genetic potential: ‘The
full range of biotechnology components, including the
appropriate use of genetically modified organisms, needs
immediate attention to help improve eco-farming’. Written
a decade ago, this remains true today 25 .
It is important to remember that the application
of biotechnology encompasses much more than
GMOs, although it is these that have often attracted
disproportionate attention and controversy. GMOs are not
the only or even the primary solution to current problems
in Africa and, in addition to technology, it is essential to
invest broadly in infrastructure, including human resources,
scientific facilities and more general infrastructure for social
and economic development (see also Chapter 2). Markerassisted
selection for faster and more targeted breeding
and molecular diagnostics for identification and monitoring
of plant diseases play an increasingly important role in
Africa (Black et al., 2011), as elsewhere. Nonetheless, there
are considered to be significant prospects for using GM
crops for sustainable, inclusive and resilient agricultural
24
Mapping of individual African countries for vulnerability to hunger and climate is provided by the United Nations World Food
Programme analysis on http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/newsroom/wfp243427.pdf.
25
There are many other initiatives that analyse and propose options to tackle the issues for agriculture in Africa, providing the
wider context for the current academy work. These include the following:
(1) Global initiatives, for example from: FAO on a wide range of technologies in agriculture, including the use of molecular
markers, genomics and genetic modification (http://www.fao.org/biotech/biotechnology-home/en); the Consultative Group
on International Agricultural Research (http://www.cgiar.org); the International Food Policy Research Institute, Strategies for
African Agriculture (http://www.ifpri.org/publication/strategies-and-priorities-african-agriculture); the World Bank Department
of Agriculture and Rural Development (http://www.worldbank.org.agrm); the World Economic Forum on Agriculture and
Food Security (http://weforum.org/issues/agriculture-and-food-security); OECD activities relating to agriculture and biosafety
(http://www.oecd.org); the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (http://www.egfar.org) and capacity building projects in
Africa of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (http://www.icgeb.org).
(2) Regional initiatives, for example: the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (http://www.fara-africa.org; the African
Union’s NEPAD Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (http://www.nepad-caadp.net); and the African
Technology Policy Studies Network Agricultural Innovations Program (http://www.atpsnet.org/programmes/RCB/agriculture/
index.php).
(3) Major philanthropic foundations, for example the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (http://www-agra-alliance.org).
(4) EU Member State advocacy initiatives, for example Agriculture for Impact, based in the UK (http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/
africanagriculturaldevelopment).
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