South-South collaboration showcases locally developed LMOs as a tool for sustainable development at Biodiversity COP15

By Nkechi Isaac

The 15th United Nations Biodiversity Conference of Parties (CBD COP15) took place in December 2022, in Montreal, Canada.

The 196 parties who are signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity gathered to discuss how to preserve the diversity of species, sustainably utilize the components and maintain life-supporting systems and essential ecological processes.

Fast-paced negotiations and many side events took place at the Palais des Congrès de Montréal.   

The panelists from Argentina, Nigeria, Brazil, and Kenya highlighted their respective countries’ achievements in approving locally developed and safe living modified organisms (LMOs) to sustainably enhance food security.

As part of this important COP, parties negotiated a plan of action for the next ten years to halt biodiversity loss and achieve sustainability.

The plan is called the Global Biodiversity Framework and consists of goals and targets that all parties will seek to achieve. This plan includes a specific target on Biotechnology.

Biotechnology has positive impacts

Alliance for Science side event on safe and locally developed LMOS for the Sustainable Development Goals. [Pablo Orozco]

Many parties, civil societies, academic and research institutions, and other stakeholders believe that biotechnology can be essential to achieve the Convention’s objectives, as stated in Article 16.

Biotechnology can also help us achieve Sustainable Development Goals at a pace that keeps up with the biodiversity and climate crisis.

Alliance for Science (AfS) and Argentina, Kenya, Nigeria, Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, and Paraguay co-hosted a side event titled The Contribution of Safe and Locally Developed LMOs to the Sustainable Development Goals.

This South-South initiative called for a balanced target on biotechnology.

Parties and stakeholders agreed that it is imperative to recognize that biotechnology has positive impacts that can accelerate the achievement of the SDGs and the objectives of the Convention.

The panelists from Argentina, Nigeria, Brazil, and Kenya highlighted their respective countries’ achievements in approving locally developed and safe living modified organisms (LMOs) to sustainably enhance food security.

The hope is that more African countries will embrace agricultural biotechnology and build a hedge against food insecurity and famine.

They listed produce, including drought-resistant soybean and wheat in Argentina, genetically modified beans resistant to the golden mosaic virus in Brazil, pod-borer resistant (PBR) cowpea in Nigeria, and virus-resistant cassava in Kenya.

Argentina

In her presentation, Dr Dalia Lewi, Argentina’s National Director of Bio-economy, stated that her country’s ″utmost priority is supporting local developments,″ and that ″Argentina has  capacity for innovation and resilience, as do all Latin American countries and the whole of the Global South.″

She said that like most countries in Latin America, Argentina has adopted biotechnology as a tool for producing more with less through sustainable intensification.

According to her, developing technology presents local solutions for local production problems. ″It is one of the things we are most proud of,″ she said.

″Climate change is a reality and we are faced with the need for adaptation and mitigation of its effects. Biotechnology and, particularly, local developments, are going to be fundamental in the future.″

Listing wheat, soybeans, and potatoes as some of the products developed through biotechnology in Argentina, Lewi asserted that recognizing and fostering the benefits of locally produced LMOs will encourage more bio-developments that can help achieve sustainability and the objectives of the CBD and its protocols.

She stated that her agency focuses on growers—improving their productivity while preserving environmental resources — and on consumers who receive innovative and better products.

″Climate change is a reality and we are faced with the need for adaptation and mitigation of its effects. Biotechnology and, particularly, local developments, are going to be fundamental in the future.″

She added: ″In this sense, according to what the countries committed to in the Paris Agreement and with the SDGs, it is necessary to take action for adaptation, mitigation, and product sustainability. Biotechnology is one of the tools that can contribute towards these objectives.

″Regarding the post-2020 biodiversity framework, we are confident we can contribute towards most of the targets related to agriculture: targets 1, 7, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18, all of which revolve around sustainably improving productivity, reducing the number of inputs for production, guaranteeing food security in the world, contributing to the resilience of productive systems and the conservation of biological diversity, and promoting the circular bio-economy.″

Mr Facundo Simione and Mrs Perla Godoy from Argentina Bioeconomy Agency. [Pablo Orozco]

Kenya

As biotechnology continues to take root in Africa and boost food production to forestall projected famine and food insecurity,  many have continued to sensitize stakeholders and governments to allow the new rave: living-modified organisms (LMOs).

Facundo Simeone and Perla Godoy from Argentina; Roy Mugiira, DG of Kenya Biosafety Authority and  Abisabo Adamu of Nigeria Biosafety Authority. [Pablo Orozco]

The chief executive of Kenya’s National Biosafety Authority, Dr Roy Mugiira, commented on how countries in the southernmost hemisphere can learn from each other in terms of biotechnology development and applications to strengthen and sustain their food security drive.

Dr  Mugiira asserted that the side event was a perfect example of how they can learn and support one another in delivering beneficial products to the people.

Professor Douglas Miano. [Pablo Orozco]

Dr Josphat Muchiri, a  representative of Kenya’s National Biosafety Authority, and Professor Douglas Miano, the Principal Investigator of the Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa (VIRCA) Project, Kenya, presented their case of GM cassava.

The duo stated that the genetically modified cassava is certified safe based on regulatory safety data.

After decades of research, Nigeria has established one of Africa’s safest biosafety systems, thanks to quality capacity and functional biosafety frameworks which regulate the technology from trials to commercialization

They said GM cassava is as safe as conventional cassava varieties, with Dr Muchiri demonstrating its socio-economic relevance by contributing to Kenya’s food security and economic growth through the management of the Cassava Brown Streak  Disease (CBSD).

″Kenya learning from Nigeria, Nigeria learning from Argentina, Argentina learning from others, and so on, this is an exciting moment, particularly, seeing the professor of cowpea there and professor of cassava at the other end. This is a perfect way of getting [the] South-South to talk to one another, to deliver science,″ he said.

Alliance for Science fellows Arif Hossain, Nkechi Isaac, Pablo Orozco, Modesta Abugu, and Faruq Hasan with Lucia de Souza of PRRI. [Pablo Orozco]

Nigeria

Speaking for the Director-General of Nigeria’s National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr Rufus Ebegba, the agency’s Head of Planning, Research and Statistics, Mrs Scholastica Bello said Nigeria is the first country to approve the cultivation of Bt cowpea.

She emphasized that her country’s strides in the agricultural biotechnology sector wouldn’t have been possible without the establishment of the Biosafety Act in 2015.

Mrs Scholastica Bello. [Pablo Orozco]

Mrs Bello said after decades of research, Nigeria has established one of Africa’s safest biosafety systems, thanks to quality capacity and functional biosafety frameworks which regulate the technology from trials to commercialization.

The hope is that more African countries will embrace agricultural biotechnology and build a hedge against food insecurity and famine.

This can be achieved by giving their citizens a variety of options and ensuring GMO availability to farmers, with regulations and policies in place to avoid a conflagration of negative tendencies.

Professor Mohammed Ishiyaku.

As an observer during the side event, Professor Mohammed Ishiyaku, the Executive Director of the Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR), Samaru, Nigeria, said researchers in Nigeria have reiterated their stand on deployment and responsible use of science to solve national problems, especially by leveraging on local capacities.

According to Prof Ishiyaku, the development of drought and disease-tolerant varieties, and the resulting reduction of very harmful insecticides indicate the confluence of all the environmental concerns for which the convention stands.

Prof Ishiyaku, a plant breeder and Principal Investigator of Nigeria’s first genetically modified food crop, the pod-borer resistant (PBR) cowpea, maintained [that] this is only possible through an amalgamation of responsible regulation and very shrewd science driven by national commitment in those countries.

Brazil

Sharing the Brazilian experience, the Technical Assistant of Brazil’s National Biosafety Committee and its Minister of Science and Technology, Gutemberg Sousa said his country currently boasts 410 institutes of biotech research, with 80 percent belonging to the public sector.

He stated that the country’s key product, bean resistant to the golden mosaic virus, is as safe for cultivation and consumption as the frijol currently cultivated.

Sousa maintained that new breeding, biotechnology, precision, and risk assessment have formed part of a consistent process.

Bangladesh

As the only Civil Society representative, Arif Hossain, CEO of Farming Future Bangladesh (FFB), presented on Bt brinjal.

Hossain, who has worked with stakeholders across the board in Bangladesh, stated that 65000-odd farmers are growing Bt brinjal in Bangladesh.

Some of the key numbers regarding the positive impacts of Bt brinjal include a 51 percent reduction in the number of pesticide applications by farmers; a 39 percent reduction in the number of pesticides applied; a 41 percent reduction in the toxicity of pesticides applied, as measured by the Pesticide Use Toxicity Score (PUTS); and importantly, a 10 percent reduction in the likelihood of reporting symptoms consistent with pesticide poisoning.

Hossain’s presentation included a video of farmer Milon Mia’s story. Mia’s accounts underscored the benefits of the technology as we can see what it means to the users of the technology from the first-hand experience of a farmer.

Conclusion

Pablo Orozco, Global Policy Lead AfS.

Global Policy Lead for the Alliance for Science, Pablo Orozco concluded that the objective of the side event was to demonstrate through case studies that safe, sustainable, locally developed LMOs are available and can benefit local rural communities and regions.

The different country study cases, he said, show the improved crop, their traits, how it helps achieve sustainability, and the key role of robust national biosafety systems.

″The objective, I believe, was achieved because Argentina, Kenya, Nigeria, Brazil and our civil societies’ representative from Bangladesh demonstrated how their bio-developments have already helped local communities accelerate progress towards the SDGs’ targets and how they will positively contribute to achieving them in the future,″ Pablo said.

″We had 15 parties in attendance with many taking the floor in support of modern biotechnology that can contribute to the SDGs.″

As negotiations ended in Montreal, some parties and stakeholders agreed on the benefits of biotechnology for biodiversity conservation and for accelerating progress toward the SDGs.

The main outcome for this was reflected in a balanced target for biotechnology. Out of the 23 targets that the GBF covers, target 17 directly addresses biosafety and biotechnology.

The event was organized by Argentina and added to the efforts to agree on a balanced target that focused on both the benefits and the risks of the products of biotechnology.