Agricultural Technocrats Call for Nationwide Biotech Awareness

There is a need for systemic nationwide awareness creation both at high policy and at grassroots levels. This was the verdict from technocrats from the Kenyan Agricultural Sector Ministries, who converged for a brainstorming session on how to upscale implementation of the National Biotech Awareness Strategy (BioAware). The technocrats observed that a lot of biotech awareness activities have been conducted at high policy echelon but the information has not trickled down to the end users of the technology.

"We would like to know if GM food is on the market. Right now we need to have answers for farmers who are asking if some varieties of maize are GMOs," commented Dr. Peter Ithondeka, the Director of Veterinary Services in the Ministry of Livestock Development. As an urgent priority, there is a need to equip technocrats in the agricultural sector with the necessary knowledge and information on current global and national activities regarding biotechnology. It was recommended that an activity be carried out to prepare a critical mass of champions to move the BioAware strategy.

The Agricultural Sector Coordinating Unit committed to take the lead in coordinating the upscaling of BioAware  activities to reach beneficiaries. The meeting was organized under a collaborative agreement between the Program for Biotechnology Systems and other Kenya Partners including the National Council of Science and Technology, Regulatory agencies and ISAAA AfriCenter.

For more information, contact Brigitte Bitta of the ISAAA AfriCenter at b.bitta@cgiar.org