Fear of genetically modified technologies stalling Zambia’s food security push, says UNZA don

Skepticism around Genetically Modified (GM) technologies continues to slow Zambia’s adoption of biotech solutions that could lift crop yields and strengthen food security, a University of Zambia (UNZA) academic has warned.

Dr. Evans Kaimoyo, a lecturer at UNZA, said doubts surrounding GM technologies stem largely from misunderstanding the science, compounded when unqualified voices present themselves as experts.

In an interview with Zambia Monitor, Kaimoyo argued that public debate became muddled because “unqualified individuals present themselves as experts, creating confusion among the public.”

He pointed to medicine as proof of GM’s safety and impact, noting that highly active antiretroviral therapy depended heavily on cloning and expressing genes from HIV.

“Understanding how reverse transcriptase interacts with nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors required genes to be cloned using genetic engineering methods,” Kaimoyo explained.

“People have no qualms with the use of GM technologies in the development of antiretroviral therapies including vaccines because the disease (AIDS) nearly wiped us out in the 1990s,” he stated.

Kaimoyo said agricultural products provoked stronger reactions because they were “emotive and directly tied to culture, livelihoods, and food on the table.”

He stressed that genetic engineering had not departed from original techniques, but had only become more precise.

Kaimoyo said the technology was already technically feasible for Zambia’s key challenges, citing the bacillus thuringiensis gene to control fall armyworm.

“Second, the use of CRISPR-Cas9 to control maize lethal leaf necrosis disease and cassava brown streak and African cassava mosaic virus diseases would be great for Zambia,” he said.

Beyond misinformation, Kaimoyo identified structural gaps as major barriers. “Zambia lacks investment in laboratory infrastructure, facilities, and training for young scientists,” he stated.

“Lastly, GM plants for herbicide resistance have been in use for over 30 years. Zambia could take advantage of these,” Kaimoyo added.

Zambia is a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity and a party to the Cartagena Protocol, and has a functional biosafety regulatory authority, according to the National Biosafety Authority.

The country’s Biotechnology and Biosafety Policy, enacted in 2003, has been reviewed and submitted to Cabinet. It now awaits approval before rollout.

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