Search Results for: South Africa
Transgenic Bt maize: farmers’ perceptions, refuge compliance and reports of stem borer resistance in South Africa
Abstract: Based on surface area, South Africa is currently ranked the eighth in planting genetically modified (GM) crops in the world. Bt maize (MON810) has been grown to control lepidopterous stem borers in South Africa since its first release during 1998. The first report of resistance of the African maize stem borer, Busseola fusca (Lepidoptera: …
Perspective on the development of stem borer resistance to Bt maize and refuge compliance at the Vaalharts irrigation scheme in South Africa
Abstract: Bt maize has been grown at the Vaalharts irrigation scheme in South Africa since its first release during 1998. Interest in Bt maize refuge compliance, pest incidence and production practices at Vaalharts were recently stimulated by the first report of field resistance of Busseola fusca(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Bt maize. Objectives of this study were …
Is Bt maize effective in improving South African smallholder agriculture?
Abstract: There is intense debate about the role of genetically modified (GM) food crops in combatting low yields and food insecurity amongst smallholders in Africa. Bt maize is still the only commercialised GM food crop in Africa and thus provides an unique opportunity for an empirical evaluation on this matter. South Africa is the only …
Does raising maize yields lead to poverty reduction? A case study of the Massive Food Production Programme in South Africa
Abstract: Despite much policy attention to agricultural development in South Africa, efforts since democratisation have failed to raise smallholder engagement in agriculture and to break the trend of persistent rural poverty. This paper presents results from a study of the Massive Food Production Programme (MFPP) in three villages in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The …
The implications for mandatory GM labelling under the Consumer Protection Act in South Africa
Abstract: The South African Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 was passed into law, which among other things, mandates the labelling of genetically modified (GM) ingredients in packed goods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential impact of mandatory GM food labelling in terms of the Consumer Protection Act by determining what …
Using growth measures in the freshwater shrimp Caridina nilotica as biomarkers of Roundup® pollution of South African freshwater systems
Abstract: There has been global concern about the effect of toxic chemicals on aquatic biota due to the upsurge in contamination of aquatic ecosystems by these chemicals, which includes pesticides. Roundup® and other glyphosate-based herbicides are frequently used in the chemical control of weeds and invading alien plant species in South Africa. These bio-active chemicals …
Can the poor help GM crops? Technology, representation & cotton in the Makhathini flats, South Africa
Abstract: The adoption of Genetically Modified (GM) cotton in South Africa’s Makhathini Flats in 1998 was heralded as a case in which agricultural biotechnology could benefit smallholder farmers, and a model for the rest of the continent to follow. Using historical, political economic and ethnographic data, we find the initial enthusiasm around GM technology to …
Feeding the famine? American food aid and the GMO debate in Southern Africa
Abstract: The inclusion of genetically modified maize in food aid shipments to Southern Africa during the 2002 food crisis rekindled debates over agricultural biotechnology. As the region edged ever closer to famine – putting the lives to some 14 million Africans at risk – corporate pundits, government officials and biotech’s critics debated the health and …
Detection of transgenes in local maize varieties of small-scale farmers in Eastern Cape, South Africa
Abstract: Small-scale subsistence farmers in South Africa have been introduced to genetically modified (GM) crops for more than a decade. Little is known about i) the extent of transgene introgression into locally recycled seed, ii) what short and long-term ecological and socioeconomic impacts such mixing of seeds might have, iii) how the farmers perceive GM …
Pest resistance to Cry1Ab Bt maize: Field resistance, contributing factors and lessons from South Africa
Abstract: This paper documents the historical development of resistance of the African maize stem borer, Busseola fusca (Fuller) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Bt maize (Zea mays L.). This pest was one of the first to evolve resistance to Bt maize expressing Cry1Ab protein. A time-line of events and contributing factors are presented, from the commencement of …
Detection of GMO in food products in South Africa: Implications of GMO labelling
Abstract: Genetically modified (GM) crops currently account for 29% of crop production worldwide. South Africa is currently the only country in Africa to commercially grow GM crops. Despite a lack of regulations to provide for food labelling that allows for consumer preference, many products carry negative or positive labels with regard to genetic modification. The …
Persistence of the pesticidal Bacillus thuringiensis protein expressed in Bt maize plant materials in two soils of the Central Eastern Cape, South Africa
Abstract: Environmental effects of genetically modified plants are not yet fully understood. Experiments were conducted to determine relative amounts of the bioactive Bt protein in roots, leaves and stems of Bt maize and persistence of the protein in two soil forms (Shortlands and Oakleaf). The Bt protein activity was bioassayed using 2nd to 3rd instar …
Resistance to Bt maize in Busseola fusca (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from Vaalharts, South Africa
Abstract: The first report of resistance of the maize stem borer [Busseola fusca (Fuller)] to Bt maize (MON810) was made in the Christiana area of South Africa during 2007. The objective of this study was to evaluate the status of resistance of other populations of B. fusca to Bt maize. One greenhouse and two laboratory …
Is Bt cotton a pro‐poor technology? A review and critique of the empirical record
Abstract: Policy makers, journalists and other commentators have hailed genetically modified (GM) crops as a ‘pro‐poor’ success in the developing world. Their confidence appears to be justified by the encouraging conclusions reached by academic studies on the performance and impacts of GM crops, which seem to provide convincing evidence of substantial benefits for smallholders in …
Briefing: Burkina Faso’s reversal on genetically modified cotton and the implications for Africa
Abstract: CAN GENETICALLY MODIFIED (GM) CROPS help smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa? To date, only two GM crops – insect-resistant forms of cotton and maize – have made it into the hands of African farmers. Of these, GM cotton has the longest empirical track record, having been the first GM crop ever introduced in Africa, …
Acute toxicity of Roundup® herbicide to three life stages of the freshwater shrimp Caridina nilotica (Decapoda: Atyidae)
Abstract: Glyphosate based herbicides, including Roundup®, are frequently used in the chemical control of weeds and invading alien plant species in South Africa. These herbicides ultimately get into water courses directly or indirectly through processes such as drifting, leaching, surface runoff and foliar spray of aquatic nuisance plants. Despite their widespread use, no water quality …
Identification of glyphosate resistance in Lolium rigidum Gaudin
Abstract: Glyphosate resistance was found in Lolium rigidum Gaudin (Rigid ryegrass, LOLRI) in South Africa. Suspected glyphosate-resistant L. rigidum populations were collected and grown under greenhouse conditions. The plants were sprayed with a range of doses of glyphosate 35 days after planting and shoot dry biomass was determined 17 days after herbicide treatment. Based on …
From Betterment to Bt Maize
Abstract: Agriculture has received renewed attention in poverty reduction efforts in Africa in recent years, and there are hopes that GM crops could have an important role in helping increase smallholder yields and reduce poverty. Drawing on critical discourse analysis (CDA) and livelihoods perspectives, this thesis examines the ideas governing the Massive Food Production Programme …
Field-evolved insect resistance to Bt crops: definition, theory, and data
Abstract: Transgenic crops producing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins for insect pest control have been successful, but their efficacy is reduced when pests evolve resistance. Here we review the definition of field-evolved resistance, the relationship between resistance and field control problems, the theory underlying strategies for delaying resistance, and resistance monitoring methods. We also analyze resistance …
Agricultural expansion as risk to endangered wildlife: Pesticide exposure in wild chimpanzees and baboons displaying facial dysplasia
Abstract: Prenatal exposure to environmental endocrine disruptors can affect development and induce irreversible abnormalities in both humans and wildlife. The northern part of Kibale National Park, a mid-altitude rainforest in western Uganda, is largely surrounded by industrial tea plantations and wildlife using this area (Sebitoli) must cope with proximity to human populations and their activities. …
First report of field resistance by the stem borer, Busseola fusca (Fuller) to Bt-transgenic maize
Abstract: Reports of severe damage caused by the African stem borer, Busseola fusca (Fuller) to Mon810-transgenic maize (Bt) prompted a study in which the survival of progenies of diapause larvae collected from both a Bt and non-Bt planting were compared when feeding on various Bt and non-Bt hybrids. Field and greenhouse grown plants were artificially …
Implications of GMO cultivation and monitoring-series
Abstract: Genetic engineering is a technological approach that allows for the application of new genetic material across species borders. It is assumed to yield specific benefits, e.g., increased food production, decreased use of pesticides and herbicides, and improved food quality. However, after more than a decade of commercial experience in some countries outside Europe, it …
Exploring the resilience of Bt cotton’s ‘Pro‐Poor Success Story’
Abstract: Expectations play a powerful role in driving technological change. Expectations are often encapsulated in narratives of technological promise that emphasize potential benefits and downplay potential negative impacts. Genetically modified (GM, transgenic) crops have been framed by expectations that they would be an intrinsically ‘pro‐poor’ innovation that would contribute powerfully to international agricultural development. However, …
