With a virus threatening the crops of up to 70 percent of Kenya’s maize farmers, a number of lawmakers are calling for the country’s controversial ban on GMOs – genetically modified organisms – to be lifted for the sake of food security.
Agricultural researcher Simon Gichuki explains that for many Kenyans, maize is an irreplaceable part of their diet.
This is why the past several years have been so alarming for Kenyans. The country’s cereal-growing heartlands have been ravaged by a virus called Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease. The Cereal Growers Association has said the disease could cut production this year by almost a third, with up to 70 percent of maize farmers affected.
In Kenya, more and more policymakers are starting to think that the solution to diseases like this is genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.
Share this article
GMOs have been banned in Kenya since 2012, when a study found that GMO maize caused cancer in rats. The study was later discredited, and pulled from the scientific journal that had published it. But in Kenya GMOs are still illegal.
Menjo says that among farmers themselves, opinions on GMOs are mixed. But a number of lawmakers have been speaking out in favor of lifting the ban.
Read the full, original article: In Kenya, Calls Grow to Lift Controversial GMO Ban
