Walk Back from GM Beans
Nigerians are not ready for GM Beans or any GMO for that matter. The commercialisation of genetically modified (GM) beans has been celebrated by the purveyors and promoters of the artificial variety. The Pod Borer-Resist…
We Cannot Feed on Myths
Myths don’t feed anyone. Small-scale farmers provide 80 percent of global food supply using a mere 25 percent of the resources in the food production sector. Industrial agriculture provides less than 20 percent of the gl…
Arrival of Extreme Technology
Technology is defined as the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry. Oftentimes industry is related to the transformation of nature or raw materials in factories. The word, te…
A Knife to the Throat
A Knife to the Throat. Think before you dance to the GMO beat. A popular saying has it that the person that pays the drummer dictates the tune. That saying may not hold true at all times because the drummer may on occasi…
Coloniality and the Geography of Seeds and Foods
The geography of food shows the peculiarities and patterns of food production and consumption across the world or in particular territories. It tells a tapestry of stories of the individuals or communities where they are…
“Evolving” Extinction GMOs
“Evolving” Extinction GMOs have no place in Nigeria. While the world was debating the future of new and extreme genetic engineering, proponents of the technology in Nigeria were busy proposing amendments to t…
Eat Today, Eat Tomorrow
Eat Today, Eat Tomorrow. Many of us have been advised not to talk while eating, but eating without talking is hardly ever an option. We often muse over many issues as we munch. Meal time offers a time to appreciate the c…
Dining on Genetically Engineered Pesticides
Eating Genetically Engineered Pesticides. All through the ages, in the development of agriculture, humans have selected and cultivated crops and animals that thrive in their environments and are good for their health. So…
Dying for Pieces of Copper
Of the ten most toxic places on earth, three are found in Africa. They are: the Niger Delta, the mining communities of Kabwe in Zambia and the Agbogbloshie dumpsite in Ghana. While Kabwe ranks as number five on the list,…
A Dose of Needless Medicine
A Dose of Needless Medicine. In this reflection we are looking at genetically modified cotton (GM) in the light of the Tortoise Principle. There is a folktale about a time a Lion was sick and declared that all the anima…
Do Not Betray Africa on Extreme Genetic Engineering
Do Not Betray Africa on SynBio and Gene Drives As representatives of a broad range of African civil society organisations (CSOs), we do not feel represented by the delegations of Nigeria and South Africa, speaking on beh…
We can plant a seed
We can plant a seed Way back yesterday In the glow of nighttime fires We sat around steamy bowls Carving up mounds of foo foo Then dipping our hands in hot soups Mouths long open awaited the feast With every bite our ton…
Eco-Instigator #21
We are glad to serve you a feisty edition of your informative Eco-Instigator. In it you will find articles and reports from our projects and our continuous struggles for ecological justice. Due to the focus of extractive…
Systemic Betrayal of Farmers (and Consumers)
Systemic betrayal of farmers. Applications for the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into Nigeria started flowing literally before the ink with which the bill was signed into law had dried. Promoters …
Is There Biosafety in Nigeria?
Is There Biosafety in Nigeria? At a recent HOMEF dialogue with farmers, most of the participants declared that they have never heard of anything called genetically modified organisms (GMOs). When they got to know what G…
