Will Misinformation Scare Ghana's Farmers Away From Genetically-Modified Crops?

The Cornell Alliance for Science seeks to build "a significant international alliance of partners" to "correct misinformation and counter conspiracy theories" slowing progress on climate change, synthetic biology, agricultural innovations, and other issues. This week Slashdot reader wooloohoo shared their report from Slyvia Tetteh, who works with Ghana's chamber of Agribusiness and serves as an intermediary to farmers: The advent of climate change, coupled with new plant pests and diseases, has worsened the plight of Ghanaian farmers, relegating them to remain in poverty as their crop yields and incomes plunge. Modern, climate-smart agricultural technologies, such as genetically modified crops (GMOs), can help combat these threats. However, scare-mongering and misinformation, which Ghanaians term "scarecrow," make farmers perceive such technology as white man's witchcraft. Since they see it unnatural, they are stuck with crude, unproductive farming methods — the "hoe." The adoption of GM insect-resistant cowpea and nitrogen use-efficient rice could help farmers in Ghana to improve their yields, their incomes and their lives. These crops have been vetted and recommended by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research of Ghana. But regulatory delays that prevent farmers from accessing these improved seeds, and lingering fears about technology, may erode these benefits in both Ghana and Africa at large... Achieving a hunger-free continent involves lots of education about available technology, training and efforts to change societal beliefs and mindsets regarding GM crops. There is still a lot of work to be done, and everyone's help is needed if Ghana and the rest of the continent are to embrace these breakthrough discoveries and contribute to making Africa the food basket of the world.

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