In its essence, Ngonyo’s talk downplayed the influence that American corporations and government agencies have in re-shaping Kenya's agriculture policy. Kenyan farmers and consumers were kept in the dark last year as the US legislature passed the Global Food Security Act on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that benefits multinational corporations while putting farmers and consumers at risk. However, this act paints a bigger and more morbid picture of a broken African food system that allows these corporations and agencies to abuse agricultural workers and in turn feed the world unhealthy food.

Ngonyo stated that Kenya has never been partial to multinationals however; these companies have been able to sway government policies in favor of Genetic Engineering (GE). These MNCs have worked closely with the Kenyan government and in turn have marginalized farmers and farm workers.

Ngonyo illustrated that in Kenya’s dairy industry the hormone stimulant rBST was approved in order to increase milk production. The consequence was an oversupply of milk and depressed prices, along with many hidden costs within GE technology that farmers were not informed about. The result is greater poverty among farming communities in Kenya. In addition, there are the safety concerns from the possible side effects induced by hormone enhancers such as rBST, being absorbed into humans who work with and consume the produce. 

Ngonyo then illustrated that maize, the staple food of most Kenyans, is also being targeted by GE agencies and corporations. Surely Kenyans should have the right to untainted, safe maize? The 2008 global food crisis put pressure on the Kenyan government to sign the GMO bill that allowed genetically modified maize to be imported from the USA. Thus, these MNCs used food relief as a GMO conduit. The result was the destruction of local farming and livelihoods in Kenya, as it created a dependency on imported maize. Money that could be used to improve agriculture through irrigation and pricing structures is being used on GE.

Both the UN and World Bank argue for agro-ecological and sustainable agriculture, rather than reliance on chemical-intensive practices and genetic engineering. The United States should reject the approach of the misleading Global Food Security Act and instead bring our agricultural research and foreign aid strategy in line with the findings of the acclaimed International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD). The IAASTD found that the most promising solutions to the world’s food crisis include investing in agro-ecological research, extension and farming.

It is about time for there to be comprehensive approaches to a sustainable food system.  At ILRF, there has been an ever increasing connection between the types of food that farmers are often required to grow and the lack of ability for farmers to make enough money to provide for their families.  The food system in the U.S. is dominated by large corporate interests where the farmers and farmworkers have little power to improve their pay or working conditions.  Here are some suggested steps to improve the lives of agricultural workers and help solve the food crisis.

Kenya is not the only country affected by GE. US corporations have been contaminating Africa with unapproved traits for years. Who should pay? The Bio-safety act of 2008 needs to be amended and continuously regulated, in order to ensure fair trade and labor practices in Africa.

You CAN make a difference. For further information and how to take action, email The Kenya Biodiversity Coalition at kbioc [at] anaw.org.