Economic Bondage: East Africa Farmers Worry Over What GMOs Might Mean
Uganda is bordered to the east by Kenya. The two countries trade agricultural products, including seeds. Kenya’s decision has ignited conversations around GMOs in Uganda. Those against GMOs worry the move will promote seed dependency, a form of “neo-colonialism in Africa”, as put by David Kabanda, executive director of the Center for Food and Adequate Living Rights, a local NGO. Meanwhile, proponents of GMOs insist the move is solely to address the challenge of food security.
Professor Barnabas Nawangwe
"We must create tailor-made solutions for us that insulate us from concepts like ‘Vaccine Apartheid’, where people from this side of the world get vaccine aid last.
With the help of the government we carried out the most transformative modernization project of our research labs during the pandemic. We now have labs that can compete with the best research labs all over the world."
What Changed When Ugandan Farmers Rated Input Quality And Local Vendor Services
Each agricultural season, small-scale maize farmers in southeastern Uganda face the same dilemma. Should they shell out a few extra shillings and buy commercial maize seed from the nearby agro-input shop, or should they just plant seed saved from the previous harvest?
The advantages of the first strategy are obvious. The small investment in commercial seed can substantially increase future income from maize. About 28,000 UGX (roughly US$8) buys enough seed to plant half an acre, and can yield an additional 1.25 to 2.5 bags of maize – an extra income of between 88,000 and 176,000 UGX ($25-50).
