September 2013: The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has released a publication, titled ‘Genetically modified crops in Africa: Economic and policy lessons from countries south of the Sahara,’ which assesses the benefits, costs and risks of using genetically modified (GM) crops to enhance food production and food security in the region.

The book aims to support policymakers in sub-Saharan African countries to assess whether biotechnology can make a contribution towards sustainable solutions to combat hunger in their countries. It synthesizes the results of an IFPRI conference, titled ‘Bringing Economic Analysis to Inform Biotechnology and Biosafety Policies in Africa,’ which was held in 2009 in Entebbe, Uganda, and focused on using economics to inform biotechnology and biosafety policies in Africa.

The volume comprises several case-study style articles covering: socioeconomic farm-level effects; health impacts; ex-ante evaluation of benefits, risks and costs; and consumer perceptions. Other articles address general issues and challenges, including GMO production in the context of exports and regional integration; costs of compliance with biosafety regulation; policies, investments and partnerships for biotechnology research; and Africa’s choices with regard to GM crops and GM food.

The final chapter identifies opportunities and challenges for the use of GM crops in African Agriculture and concludes that biotechnology has a significant role to play in agriculture development in sub-Saharan countries; however this role will be determined by national and regional policy choices and institutional settings. The book therefore recommends improvements in the policy, regulatory and research environment, including a balanced regulatory biosafety approach based on regional coordination.

IFPRI is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [Publication: Genetically modified crops in Africa: Economic and policy lessons from countries south of the Sahara]