THE EDITORIAL NEWS

GMO MEALIE MEAL FROM SOUTH AFRICA  SAFE.  . ...for human, animal consumption and environment declares Zambia's NBA Scientific Advisory Committee. By Alfonso Kasongo  Zambia's National Biosafety Authority (NBA) has cleared the controversial importation of GMO mealie meal from South Africa into the country declaring  the stable food safe for human and animal  consumption. This is in a move by government to mitigate the mealie meal crisis which has rocked the country due to rampant smuggling to neighbouring countries. Recently the government through agriculture Minister, Mtolo Phiri assured the country that it is food secure having stocked about 1.2 million metric tons of maize in the strategic reserves planned to run upto the end of 2024. But the country is experiencing shortage of mealie meal which has ballooned the prices of the commodity fetching from K180 to about K500 in some parts of the country.  The NBA, established under an Act of Parliament Number 1...

CLIMATE CHANGE TRIGGERS  SIGNIFICANT DROP IN EDIBLE INSECTS IN ZAMBIA . . threatening protein uptake, livelihood for the rural communities  By Alfonso Kasongo  A research conducted by Zambia's highest learning institution, UNZA has shown a reduction of edible insects such as mopane worms (  Gonimbrasia belina )  and flying termites locally known as finkubala and inswa respectively, attributing the drop to climate change. And Entomology Society of Zambia president and researcher Dr. Dennis Wachinga has expressed concern over the development stressing the need for the country to embrace entomology to assess the extent of the impact of climate change on various insects. Dr. Wachinga,an insects specialist, observes that climate change has continued to negatively impacting the ecological system and Zambia's abundance of edible insects is not spared adding that Just like any other element of the ecosystem, insects have continued to play critical role of the ecosy...