The emergence and eventual market takeover pushed by biotechnological wave is imminent. One-sided-ism aside, Genetically Modified Organisms/products (GMOs) are not bad. They are not good either. They are convenient. They are here to stay - no matter how noisy our anti-GMO crusaders will shout.
One painful truth is clear: No amount of government "bans" on GMOs will prevent these products from reaching us. Worse still, our open door market orientation will hasten this process. So, playing stiff won't keep GMOs off our tables. Compromise and clever gimmicks are inevitable.
Now, what is the way forward?
Personally, I find GMOs not such a bad thing to adopt. What worries me is the cloud behind them. Sincerely, I have no problem if this life-saving move was rolled out by government. By this I mean, government gets hold of research, design, adoption and eventual use of GMOs. Letting "private actors" (read market forces) determine what lands on our dinner tables is the problem – and which I think should also trouble our anti-GMO soldiers.
Let's move deeper.
Governments - yes, pro-people governments - are duty-bound to guard their food sovereignty. Food sovereignty is in essence the capacity of State actors to have control over the quality and circulation of products that have far-reaching consequences on the population. Mark you; this is not the same as market control. Far from it.
On this, I think, Kenya is on the right path. Our Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) is doing a good job.
Food sovereignty ceases to exist where "private actors" wield immense powers to influence policy and legislative agenda. Food sovereignty and "private actors" are strangers. One has to give way for the other to reign.
And this is when GMO rain starts to beat those with shaky quality control tradition.
The United States Vs Monsanto is a good example. (Go read for yourself and figure out how Monsanto tricked its way through US government’s regulatory bottlenecks).
The anti-GMO brouhaha we hear around is entirely premised on the untold mistrust between citizens (read anti-GMO lobbies) and governments. Kenya is no different. The centerpiece of this mistrust is solid: State institutions mandated to safeguard food and substance safety have failed spectacularly. They lack the spine to face GMO waves.
Perhaps, these institutions are either ill-equipped to protect us or they are in bed, as some people would say, with self-serving market forces.
Which provokes the question: Will lobbying for stiff Anti-GMO regulations keep the bad guys away?
A realistic view of our surroundings is, by all standards, pro-GMO. Kenya alone creates a million mouths every year. The country's rain-dependent agricultural sector is hemorrhaging partly due to climate change effects. Yields are low. The propensity of Kenyans to move to urban centers has also created an unprecedented demand of steady supply of products. We all agree we must respond - constructively - to these emerging demands.
The reasons raised by anti-GMO groups to justify their GMO-cancer-death theory are simply sensationalist. This theory is hollow and escapist. These people have failed to pin the blames where they belong.
Quick fact: "Poisonous" GMO products thrive under the cover of troika of elements, namely, information control (by authorities and food multinationals), government complacency and appetite for quick returns.
So, unless these are dealt with, anti-GMO crusades will just be farcical. I believe these groups mean well for the people. But, they should just do one thing: They must confront apathetic quality control institutions and push them to play ball.
Trust me; this move will have a dual effect. We will end up feeding our hungry mouths and still be guaranteed of quality products.
Isn’t this a better way of demonstrating our democratic ideals?
Methinks organized, information-loaded people can influence government decisions. More so, enlightened people can shape government policy.
It’s time our decisions are tinged with patriotism and deep reasoning.
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