A coalition of food systems focused non-governmental organisations, farmer groups and research experts from various African countries have kicked against release of genetically-modified cowpea.

They urged the Nigerian government to revoke the permits granted by Nigeria’s National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) to the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Zaria, for the commercial release of PBR-Cowpea.

The call was made on Tuesday in an online international press conference monitored from Yenagoa with the theme, “Pushing Back Bt Cowpea in Africa”.

The event was coordinated by Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) in collaboration with the African Center for Biodiversity (ACBio).

In his remarks, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director, HOMEF noted that the introduction of the new variety would lead to extinction of the indigenous natural varieties adding that one of the ways to colonize a people is by dismantling or subverting their culture.

“This pathway is also effective for building dependency and disrupting the systems that organically secures the health of the populations.

“In terms of agricultural and food systems, the disruption is most effective when staple crops are targeted, appropriated through patenting and presented as mere merchandize. Food is fast becoming an instrument of control and power.

“Science has been used as a cloak for the introduction of foods of dubious value and quality. The quest to solve perceived problems through artificial means introduces new problems, some of which can be intractable.

“Today we see unrelenting forces seeking to control our food and agricultural systems with attendant disregard for indigenous knowledge, natural cycles, biodiversity, and livelihoods of communities.

“We are concerned that food is being seen as a mere commodity or a mechanical or chemical product from a factory or laboratory.

“Truth is that eating is beyond swallowing food to satiate hunger; food has deep cultural and spiritual anchors with special significance in many religious observances,” Bassey noted.

Bassey observed that food supply across Africa depends largely on the maintenance of a healthy and thriving biodiversity which ought to be guarded jealously from the .commercial interest of foreign powers.

“Our farmers save, reproduce, and share seeds, understanding that these seeds encapsulate life.

“These communities engage in mixed cropping and harvest a mix of fruits, tubers and vegetables that yield foods that are rich and healthy, providing needed nutrition and building defenses against illnesses.

“They have a strong link to what is presented as food and harvests are never mechanical exercises. Moreover, many of our farmers do not see food production as mere business or for profit.

“These practices are being threatened by the genetic modification of seeds particularly those that make up our staple foods,” Bassey said.

The group demanded that distribution of the new variety to farmers be stopped immediately, as this is bound to have severe long-term negative implications on the environment and farmers’ seed and populations, and production practices.

According to them, with the genetically modified variety, Nigerian farmers could become trapped in unsustainable, unsuitable, and unaffordable farming practices, deepening the threat to food and nutritional security and ultimately farmers’ rights.

“We also admonish other African governments to desist from the use of this variety and other GM crops on the continent, which represent continued agrarian extractivism and exploitation of smallholder farmers.

“Cowpea, popularly known as beans, is an indigenous African crop and major source of protein.

“As a staple food for humans, as well as an essential animal feed, Cowpea plays a crucial role in food and nutritional security, as well as providing an important source of income.

“Nigeria is the prime producer, with a yearly average production of about 2.7 million metric tons over the last 10 years,” the group stated.

The group expressed disappointment that Nigeria is the first country to commercially release genetically modified Cowpea variety approved in 2019.

The coalition noted the approval was in spite of concerns expressed by stakeholders with regard to the environmental, socio-economic and health implications.

They listed other countries under pressure to adopt this technology to include Ghana and Burkina Faso.

“A recent review of the risk assessment document on which the approval was based reveals deficiencies in the safety assessment of the Bt toxins produced in the plants.

“It pertains to the expression of the additionally inserted genes, the impact on non-target organisms, and the impact on bio-geochemical processes and food safety,” the group said.

The coalition quoted the coordinator of the food sovereignty programme at Friends of the Earth Africa/Nigeria, Mariann Bassey-Orovwuje, as saying that generally, GMOs are accompanied with large range of socioeconomic problems.

“Smallholder farmers, the bedrock of agriculture on the continent are unable to compete with large industrial producers in a globalised market.

“This is leading to further land grabs, rural unemployment, depopulation, malnutrition and a sharp increase in violent conflicts between small farmers and large agro-industrial producers.

“The recent farmer crisis in India has proven once more that GMOs lead to accumulation of wealth in the hands of a small elite group unwilling to share its profits with the rest of society,” Bassey-Orovwuje said.

The group regretted that most farmers are completely uninformed on this variety and its environmental and health implications, and consumers are denied the right of choice.

The group explained that labelling is not feasible, especially in Nigeria, where food is sold in cups and measures, and the product is processed in various forms.

The coalition emphasised the need for governments across Africa to strengthen their biosafety legislation in line with the precautionary principle, which advises caution where there is no certainty of environmental and health safety.

They also demanded adequate support for smallholder farmers, who have over the years resisted pest and disease invasions and improved food productivity, through indigenous knowledge and innovation.

The coalition includes Friends of the Earth, Africa; Food Sovereignty Ghana; Rural Organisation for Sustainable Agriculture (ORAD); Network of Women and Youth in Agriculture; the ACBio and HOMEF amongst others.