
UBIC Conducts Dialogue on Biotech with Religious Leaders
November 19, 2014 |
A total of 30 religious leaders from Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC), Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, and the Evangelical Fellowship of Uganda, visited the Uganda Biosciences Information Centre (UBIC) on November 17, 2014 to be acquainted with the biotechnology work of the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO). The religious leaders had an open dialogue with scientists on issues related to biotechnology in Uganda, in light of the proposed Biotechnology and Biosafety Bill which is being debated in the Uganda Parliament. Participants raised a number concerns related to seed sovereignty and patenting GM technology, regeneration of GMO crops, safety of biotech products, and the need for more information on biotechnology for the public.
Head of the Root Crops Program at NARO, Dr. Titus Alicai, stressed that current research on GM crops conducted by NARO is addressing challenges which conventional breeding methods have so far failed to solve. "At the moment there is no solution to diseases such as Banana Bacterial Wilt Disease which is affecting our bananas (matooke) in Uganda. But through biotech research, we have developed varieties that are 100% resistant to the disease," Dr. Alicai said.
The religious leaders also visited the biotechnology and tissue culture laboratories at the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI), Namulonge before touring Banana Program at the National Agricultural Research Laboratories, Kawanda.
According to Canon Joseph Oneka- Head of Human Rights and Good Governance at UJCC, the dialogue and field tour were significant in helping the religious leaders to better understand the role of biotechnology. They welcomed an invitation to attend the monthly dialogues organised by the Open Forum for Agricultural Biotechnology in Kampala and the regional engagements.
For more information about biotechnology developments in Uganda, contact Anita Tibasaaga at atibasaaga@gmail.com.
|
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- IFPRI Releases Global Nutrition Report 2014
- Namibia Lays Groundwork to Legalize GMO
- Sudanese Farmers Reap Benefits from Bt Cotton
- Genome Duplication Secret to Plant Regeneration
- Judge Blocks Maui County from Banning GM Crops
- APHIS Deregulates GE Low-Lignin Alfalfa
- Bt Maize Could Boost Yields and Reduce Pesticide Use in Mexico
- Photosynthesis 'Switch' Increases Rice Yields by 30%
- GM Crops Save Lives in Asia, Agri Consultant Explains
- Crop Biotech for Resilience, Equity, and ASEAN Integration Tackled in Int'l Conference
- First Harvest of Biotech Corn Field Trials Completed in China
- Total Food Conference Aim for Reduction of Waste, Dev't of Valuable New Products, and Sustainability
-
Research Highlights
- Expression of CsALDH12A1 Confers Enhanced Drought Tolerance in Arabidopsis
-
Beyond Crop Biotech
- Genomic Tape Recorders Developed through E. coli
-
From the BICs
- UBIC Conducts Dialogue on Biotech with Religious Leaders
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (February 5, 2025)
- Gene Editing Supplement (January 30, 2025)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet