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Showing posts from March, 2024

MY THOUGHTS ON THE NEW,VALIDATED DRAFT GENE POLICY FOR ZAMBIA

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MY THOUGHTS ON THE NEW,VALIDATED DRAFT GENE POLICY FOR ZAMBIA Thanks for reading my posts on GMO/ National Biotechnology and Biosafety draft policy (Zambia).My inbox is full of questions, what's the agenda behind your write-ups? To answer you all,I don't have any hidden agenda about GMOs and other related (gene) techniques in our agriculture. My simple and straightforward agenda is for the nation (Zambians) to seriously begin to talk about the gene technology, it's badness and goodness. Therefore, we can not serious engage with a policy which is at a verge of being amended. What is more concerning is the new draft and validated document (policy),it is not in public domain ,where the public can easily access it. Lastly but crucial is the framing of the  new draft which was mainly pro-industry.  The worst part is that the liability and redress clause is framed in such a way that the ‘users’, thus our farmers, will be the ones held liable for the negative outcomes (contaminati...

JOURNALISTS IMPLORED TO EXPLORE ISSUES SURROUNDING COTTON

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JOURNALISTS IMPLORED TO EXPLORE ISSUES SURROUNDING COTTON  ....especially at groundroot levels to change the cotton and fashion narrative. By Alfonso Kasongo Amidst increased adverse effects of climate change, consumers and producers of fashion,globally are grappling with questions of sustainability. At the same time, the globe is witnessing a groundswell of farmers, demanding more equitable and just livelihoods.   To address such concerns, Cotton Diaries and a Growing Culture have partnered to initiate Cotton at the Source, an initiative that will broaden and deepen the understanding of cotton, the most widespread non-food crop in the world. HyoJin Park,  a press relations Lead at the Growing Culture says journalists and socialists remain important in broadening and deepening the understanding of cotton as they have the responsibility of informing the public discourse. Speaking during a  Cotton at the Source  press forum,that aims at shifting the cotton narrati...

ZAMBIA NEEDS SOIL BASED ECONOMY-SHENTON

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ZAMBIA NEEDS SOIL BASED ECONOMY-SHENTON By Alfonso Kasongo With the adverse effects of climate change becoming more luminous,threatening the country's food security,  an environmentalist Rolf Shenton has insisted the need for investment in soil so as to build a soil-based economy. The setting up of a soil-based carbon economy, within this emerging financial space, has the potential to deliver a paradigm shift that will accelerate climate change mitigation, and concurrently realize net gains for soil health and the delivery of soil ecosystem services. Zambia has seen worst effects of climate change in 20-years with over 60 percent maize crop in the 2023-2024 farming season being destroyed due drought. The situation has since been declared a national disaster by Republican President Hakainde Hichilema. And Mr. Shenton says a soil-based economy remains key in positioning  the country in readiness for climatic shocks and those which could be triggered by diminishing natural reso...