GMW: Wambugu's Africa Harvest gets $16.9 million/Listen to Wambugu says Nature

[Guest guest]

GMW: Wambugu's Africa Harvest gets $16.9 million/Listen to

Wambugu says Nature

" GM WATCH " <info

Fri, 1 Jul 2005 23:28:19 +0100

 

 

 

 

GM WATCH daily

http://www.gmwatch.org

-*----

1.Africa YES! Flo NO!

2.Science & Africa: A message to the G8 summit

3.Africa Harvest consortium gets $16.9 million

4.GM & Africa resources

-*----

1.Africa YES! Flo NO!

 

Nothing could better symbolise the " GM to save the world " confidence

trick than the rise and rise of Dr Florence Wambugu.

 

Item 1 below has the science journal Nature calling on G8 leaders to

listen to Wambugu, among a number of other African scientists, so that

they can learn the strategies that should shape the future of Africa.

 

In case you are in any doubt as to Flo's strategy for the future of the

continent:

 

" We cannot develop Africa without biotechnology "

 

" genetically modified (GM) crops have a major role to play in Africa "

 

" biotechnology has huge potential "

 

But regardless of whatever the G8 decide to do, item 2 reports how the

Gates Foundation is to pour $16.9 million into a consortium headed by

Africa Harvest, of which Wambugu is the CEO. The consortium includes

Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a subsidiary of DuPont.

 

In the press release Wambugu's Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation

International (Africa Harvest) is described as " Africa's leading

non-profit

agricultural and scientific organization " . If it is " leading " then its

thanks to the likes of Croplife International which funds its

" communication " activities. CropLife International is a global

federation

'representing the plant science industry' and led by the following

companies:

BASF, Bayer, Dow, DuPont, Monsanto

and Syngenta.

 

Wambugu was picked and trained by Monsanto and came to fame via

Monsanto's virus-resistant sweet potato project. She built her

reputation on

this project, capturing massive positive publicity for GM in the

process. But Wambugu's reputation is built on a lie. The project in

question

has been far from the success that Wambugu has repeatedly claimed.

 

3 years of field trials showed the project, which cost over $6 million,

to be a complete failure, delivering lower yields than conventional

crops and no virus resistance. In contrast, conventional sweet potato

breeding in Uganda was able to develop with a small budget a well-liked

virus-resistant variety with yield gains of nearly 100%!

 

As Aaron deGrassi of the Institute of Development Studies has noted,

the tragedy is that this kind of " excitement over certain genetic

engineering procedures can divert financial, human, and intellectual

resources

from focusing on productive research that meets the needs of poor

farmers. "

[Genetically Modified Crops and Sustainable Poverty Alleviation in

Sub-Saharan Africa

http://www.twnafrica.org/docs/GMCropsAfrica.pdf ]

 

But the leaders of the industrialised nations are being told to listen

to a voice from Africa that's been trained by Monsanto and which is

being amplified by CropLife International.

 

The President of CropLife International, who is also the CEO of the

world's biggest GM company, Syngenta, is on record as saying, " As we

leverage the potential of our Crop Protection and Seeds capabilities in

pursuit of market share gain, we are targeting steadily higher returns

and

value creation

for our shareholders. "

 

In other words, the real goal of GM seeds is to feed the corporations

and their hungry shareholders. Now that's a message - relayed " from

Africa " - that Bush and Blair may just be able to hear.

-*----

2.Science & Africa: A message to the G8 summit

Nature, 29 June 2005

http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050627/full/4351146a.html

 

Africa's scientists tell industrialized nations what they need to hear.

 

When the G8 leaders meet in Scotland next week to discuss how to help

Africa's poorest nations, they are unlikely to hear the chants of the

protestors - an 8-kilometre fence around their luxury hotel will see to

that. But the activists have, to some extent, already been listened

to: a debt-relief package has been signed by the group of eight

industrialized countries and a hike in aid is also on the cards. But

when it

comes to spending this extra money, one question is whether the voices of

Africa's scientists will be heeded.

 

On the following three pages, Nature presents those voices. They need

to be heard, as science and technology are more of a priority for aid

agencies than ever before. African universities, for example, are the

subject of a new focus by the World Bank. Africa's leaders have also

singled out science and technology in their continent-wide political

strategy - the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).

 

The comments that follow make for challenging reading. Every area seems

to require immediate attention, from disease and climate change

to a lack of access to education and sanitation. But themes emerge

nonetheless. Solutions must factor in the needs of local communities and

environments. Projects should be run as far as possible by Africans, not

the donors. And Africa needs long-term backing from rich nations, not

an uncertain future in which aid waxes and wanes.

If science and technology projects are to help shape Africa, these are

the strategies that should shape them.

 

Kenya: Florence Wambugu

 

CEO of A Harvest Biotech Foundation International, a Kenyan

organization dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture through

the use of

biotechnology.

 

We cannot develop Africa without biotechnology. Enormous numbers of

people suffer from malnutrition in some regions, and this is where

biotechnology has huge potential.

 

One example is NERICA (New Rice for Africa), a variety developed by the

West Africa Rice Development Association in Bouake, Ivory Coast. The

rice was created by conventional breeding and combines high-yield Asian

strains with drought-resistant African ones. It is a good example of the

research and development we can do when there is partnership between

scientists in Africa and abroad.

 

But we have to take a holistic approach - we also need to address other

issues such as soil fertility, water management, human infrastructure

and capacity development.

 

The problem is that there is a disconnect between high-level

international research and the perspectives and priorities of African

leaders.

Most research here is donor-funded. There is an urgent need for African

countries to fund their own research so that they have a stake in the

results. That way the results will be more relevant and can be linked to

local communities.

 

Involving rural people is crucial. The poverty in Africa is in the

villages. We need education and training for farmers so that they can

make

use of opportunities such as improved seed banks. That will empower

them. You can't just give them an agricultural innovation and leave them

to it. I believe in science and technology, but the way it is

implemented is very important.

 

For example, genetically modified (GM) crops have a major role to play

in Africa, especially in tackling problems such as pests, drought and

malnutrition. To succeed, GM technology must be

implemented in a way that gives Africans true ownership. Although there

is room for many different players, including the private sector,

researchers and agricultural organizations, greater emphasis should be

placed on collaborations with countries outside Africa. When it comes to

staple crops, the possibility of royalty-free technologies must also be

explored.

-*-----

3.Africa Harvest Offered Grand Challenges in Global Health Grant to

Improve Africa's Health Through a Full Range of Nutrients in Sorghum

Friday July 1, 6:00 am

 

Five-year $16.9 million project to develop more nutritious, easily

digestible Sorghum with increased levels of pro-Vitamin A and E, Iron,

Zinc, Essential Amino Acids and protein prototype with increased lysine

 

NAIROBI, July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Africa's leading non-profit

agricultural and scientific organization, Africa Harvest Biotech

Foundation

International (Africa Harvest), leads a nine-member consortium that

has been

offered a Grand Challenges in Global Health grant of US$16.9 million,

funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The consortium is called

the African Biofortified Sorghum Project.

 

" This grant represents a major paradigm shift in agricultural research

in Africa, " stated Africa Harvest CEO, Dr. Florence Wambugu. " It is

refreshing to note that the project proposal was put together by African

scientists for the African continent. "

 

The consortium will develop a new variety of sorghum for the more than

300 million people in arid regions of Africa who rely on this grain as

their primary source of food. Sorghum is one of the few crops that grow

well in arid climates, but it is deficient in most essential nutrients,

and is difficult to digest when cooked.

 

The project seeks to develop a more nutritious and easily digestible

sorghum that contains increased levels of pro-vitamin A, vitamin E, iron,

zinc, amino acids, and protein. A prototype, containing increased

levels of the amino acid lysine, has already been successfully developed.

 

The African organization is partnering with scientific teams from

agricultural company Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a subsidiary of

DuPont,

and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa.

Other Consortium Members include the Forum for Agricultural Research in

Africa (FARA), the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF),

the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics

(ICRISAT) and the Universities of Pretoria (South Africa) and

Missouri-Columbia (USA).

 

" In the past, we have been told that there is no scientific or

infrastructural capacity in Africa. This has always meant that Africa-

targeted

research was often done outside Africa, or with minimal African

scientists' involvement, " said Wambugu. " In our project design, we

proceeded

from the premise that Africa has scientific capacity -- human and

infrastructural -- but this is limited to achieve desired goals. We

then went

in search of organizations that were genuinely interested in helping

Africa and asked them to work with us. "

 

The consortium has nine members, of these, seven are African.

" Furthermore, 80% of the grant will be spent in Africa, " says Dr.

Wambugu. " Even

the remaining 20%, spent outside Africa, will primarily be to build

African capacity. "

 

" Our Consortium is not looking at short-term solutions, we are

harnessing Africa's, and the world's, best scientific brains and

technologies

to fight malnutrition, which is a major African health problem, " Dr.

Wambugu said.

 

" On behalf of the African people, we are grateful to the Grand

Challenges initiative. We know that currently, less than 10% of health

research

funding is targeted to diseases that account for 90% of the global

disease burden. Through this grant, we will begin to see a fresh focus on

Africa and the developing world. "

 

About Africa Harvest

 

Africa Harvest Biotechnology Foundation International (Africa Harvest)

is incorporated in the USA as a non-profit foundation. Its headquarters

are in Nairobi, Kenya and it has regional offices in Johannesburg,

South Africa and Washington D.C., USA.

 

The Foundation's mission is to promote the use of science and

technology, including biotechnology, to fight hunger, malnutrition and

poverty

in Africa by increasing agricultural yields and incomes.

 

Although science is important, it isn't everything. Africa's

agricultural development must be approached holistically, so that

technological

solutions are supported through appropriate policies and institutions.

The Foundation believes that biotechnology is not a panacea for Africa's

agricultural challenges, but it can act as a catalyst for much needed

change, not only in agriculture, but many other areas.

 

For more information, please visit us at: http://www.ahbfi.org

 

Contact:

Daniel Kamanga, Communications Director, Africa Harvest International:

+27 82 787 4799

Email: dkamanga

------

4.GM & Africa resources

 

*for more on the push to force GM into Africa:

http://www.gmwatch.org/africa.asp

 

*USAID in Africa - new report

http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5158

 

*have you signed on to the " Africa and the G8 " statement?

http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5422

 

*check out some of the sites on GM in Africa:

 

Biowatch South Africa

http://www.biowatch.org.za/

 

GM-FREE AFRICA

http://www.gmfreeafrica.org

 

SAFeAGE

http://www.safeage.org/

 

Africa Centre for Biosafety

http://www.biosafetyafrica.net

 

Pelum-Zambia

http://www.pelum-zambia.net/front_page/article_04.htm

 

Earthlife Africa

http://www.earthlife-ct.org.za/ct/index.php

 

Environmental Justice

http://www.ejnf.org.za/

 

 

 

 

 

 

-------------------------