South African biotechnology expert Wynand van der Walt headlined a panel promoting biotechnology as a solution to raising Africa’s agricultural productivity. The audience was not entirely convinced.

“Biotechnology is not a super solution to every problem in agricultural production,” Van der Walt told delegates to FANRPAN’s regional policy dialogue, but Africa faces a food security crisis and genetically engineered crops offer a way out.

Eighty-year-old Cecilia Makota is blessed amongst women. She is one of the few in her district who can afford seeds from a stockist in Lusaka.

It is good news that for the first time Africa has a united voice when it comes to climate change. But this means nothing if the continent lacks skilled negotiators to represent their standpoint at an upcoming global policy conference.

When the United Nations conference on climate change takes place this December the world will gather to finalise the way forward in tackling this issue. But because many African countries are too poor to pay for skilled negotiators…

Climate change is no longer just about changing temperatures and rainfall patterns: it is also about human rights.

Until now, climate change has been discussed within the domains of mining; agriculture; the environment; and industry – among others. But the effects climate change has had on people’s human rights have been ignored.

”Climate change is not purely an environmental issue; it is also not purely an agricultural policy issue…

Climate change was centre stage as the chair of the Food Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN), Sindiso Ngwenya, opened the network’s annual regional dialogue in Maputo, declaring, “there should be no deal without agriculture.”

Ngwenya, also the chair of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, urged over 200 delegates from 18 African countries, and the UK, U.S., Germany, the Philippines and Trinidad & Tobago…

The “supermarket revolution” could be on its way to African cities. But it is up to African governments to use increasing trends of urbanisation to their advantage.

Zenzele Ndebele surveys delegates at FANRPAN’s annual regional policy dialogue in Maputo, Mozambique.

 

 Standard Podcast [3:52m]: Play Now | Download (66)

In the past, Celina Cossa would queue for days and even nights just waiting to buy a bag of maize.

Africa has contributed the least to climate change but the continent has suffered the most…