Experts Rally Support For Organic Farming Solutions, As GMO Foods Threatens Food Security

EXPERTS in the agricultural sector have called for urgent adoption of organic farming practice by Nigerians, to avoid the negative effects of consuming Genetically Modified Organism ( GMO) foods. While speaking at a symposiumorganised by the Centre for Food Safety and Agricultural Research ( CEFSAR), held in Ikeja, Lagos, the seasoned experts underscored the pressing need for a paradigm shift towards organic farming methods, emphasising their crucial role in safeguarding the collective well- being and preserving the integrity of the country’s ecosystems.

Central to the discussions were the imperatives of food security, environmental sustainability, and human health.

The symposium, convened under the theme, "GMO Foods: Unveiling the Landscapes and Debates Beyond the Laboratory,” served as a pivotal platform for a diverse spectrum of stakeholders to delve into the multifaceted dimensions of GMO technology, it also shed lights on the intricate complexities surrounding genetically modified foods.

The Director at CEFSAR, Prof. Qrisstubergamua, reiterated that: “The dangers in GMO foods go beyond genetic engineering. It is a way of pumping toxic chemicals into the environment and ultimately on the breakfast tables. There is an emerging situation short of criminality that is pervading the public space with GMO crops.

“In the context of our discussion, it appears that some persons outside the country have some business interests to push out these GMO products for wealth accumulation. As a centre, we have begun a journey to aggregate the relevant voices in the sector on the dangers of GMO foods.”

While stressing the need for the government to pay great service to farmers, the former Commissioner of Women Affairs in Anambra State, argued that "it’s time we look at our farmers as our greatest asset as a nation. Without the farmers, there will be no food or industry. In 2008, during Yar’adua's era, I was a member of the committee on Agriculture and Food Security, where a Vision 2020 plan was developed to make Nigeria great through Agriculture."

Attributing the rise in cancer cases to the increase in GMO foods, Dr Adesoji Saka stated in his presentation that the increase in the cause of cancer isn't farfetched; noting that it's as a result of the food eat by Nigerians. Professor Phillip Njemanze corroborated this, stating that there is no scientific argument that GMOS cause cancer because the evidence is there.

In her presentation, Dr Joyce Brown stressed that GMOS involve seed monopoly, increased pesticide use, the emergence of super weeds, and monocultures resulting in the loss of biodiversity and nutritional diversity.

Restating the need to revisit the seed law in Nigeria, a legal practitioner, Mr Bismarck Akintoye, urged the legislature to undo the laws signed in ignorance. He points that, “There are laws that allowed biotechnology into the country while we were sleeping. We must engage the lawmakers to undo the laws they did as regards the acceptance of GMO foods and crops in the country.”

On his part, Mroluwaseyiifelaja, an agribusiness specialist, restated that the proliferation of GMO seeds was aimed at neo- colonisation of the developing countries. He expressed, “The discussion on GMOS should have been locked away since three decades ago because we have been having infiltration of into our food system for that long…”