‘Why GMOs have potential to address agriculture challenges’

The former President, Genetics Society of Nigeria and Professor of Plant Genetics and Breeding, Emmanuel H.Kwon-Ndung, has noted that Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), have shown significant potential to address Nigeria’s agriculture challenges, like food security.

Kwon-Ndung, in an article made available to The Guardian, explained that most of the GMO products are pest resistant, and climate resilience, adding that for instance, the Tela maize is engineered to resist pests and withstand drought, reducing the need for harmful chemicals.

He also emphasised that apart from these, they increase crop yields, boosting productivity, enhance farmers’ incomes, and reduce the environmental footprint of agriculture, stressing that there is a scientific consensus on safety of GMO products globally.

According to him: “With Nigeria’s growing population, food security is a major concern, and GMOs can help by offering high-yield crops that thrive in Nigeria’s changing climate. They can reduce the reliance on imports, make farming more efficient, and ensure food availability at affordable prices.”

Kwon-Ndung said without biotechnology, Nigeria risks falling short of its agricultural potential and becoming dependent on other nations for basic food commodities, noting that “GMOs are not inherently harmful. Genetic modification is a natural phenomenon.”  

Similarly, he maintained that there is natural genetic modification, which happens through processes like mutation, natural selection and gene transfer, saying mutations are random changes in an organism’s DNA that can lead to new traits.
 
“Some of these traits might help the organism survive better in its environment. Natural selection occurs when over time, organisms with beneficial traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing those traits on to the next generation. Gene transfer  sometimes occurs when genes are transferred between different species.”