Seeds modified in a lab are often touted as a means to boost agriculture and food security in Africa. There is some resistance on the continent and debate on preserving its traditional seed base instead.

Ghana recently hosted a conference focused on the question of genetically modified organism (GMO) seed varieties versus those that have traditionally spawned the continent’s staple crops.

The increasing commercialization of food and agriculture, the diversity of crops, food as part of culture and identity and sustaining food needs without a switch to GMO agriculture dominated their discussions.

The meeting of experts and activists from Ethiopia, Kenya, Togo, South Africa and Zimbabwe took place in the northern city of Tamale, at the heart of a region in Ghana where agriculture is a driving force in the local economy.

In Ethiopia, local farmers have rejected GMO agriculture – apart from the genetically modified insect-resistant Bt cotton – despite intensive lobbying, often by the purveyors of GMO seeds, multi-national giants.