THE EDITORIAL NEWS

SECOND AICCRA ZAMBIA ACCELERATOR GRANT MECHANISM TO BUILD CLIMATE RESILIENCE AMONG THE 'MISSING MIDDLE ' By Alfonso Kasongo Zambia’s agriculture transformation agenda to align it to climate variability is moving in a realisation trajectory as IWMI in partnership with AICCRA is scheduled  to unveil a second phase of the AICCRA Zambia Accelerator Grant Mechanism. The new Accelerator Grant is designed to empower SMEs, start-ups, and other key players in the Zambian agribusiness ecosystem to enhance climate smart agriculture.  On 27 October,2021, IWMI with the help from the World Bank launched the first AICCRA-Zambia Accelerator Grant amounting to about US$ 250,000 to support 5 agri-business, that was to innovative agribusinesses and starter-up  partnerships in the country with focus on climate change challenges. The  first Accelerator Grant aimed at boosting climate science support to small and medium agri-businesses and start-ups  in the country where 5 successful partnerships re

  ZAMBIA'S NEW BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOSAFETY POLICY AWAITS CABINET APPROVAL- NBA ...we are positioning Zambia to align with the current biosafety regulatory trends. By Alfonso Kasongo   Zambia’s Biotechnology and Biosafety Policy enacted in 2003 has been reviewed and submitted to the Cabinet awaiting approval before it is rolled out, National Biosafety Authority (NBA) has disclosed.  According to ISAAA AfriCenter, NBA Communication Officer Sandra Lombe told biotech experts during a workshop held in Lusaka from May 13-15, 2024,that Biosafety Authority is looking forward to developing genome editing guidelines and reviewing the country's Biosafety Act.  "We are positioning Zambia to align with the current biosafety regulatory trends. The NBA also has a mandate to create biosafety awareness and sensitization for different stakeholders including policy makers and government officials. We are revamping this awareness programme," Ms. Lombe remarked.  Further ISAAA AfriCenter

GENE EDITING A MORE ELEGANT WAY OF TACKLING CROP DISEASES THAN SPRAYING MORE PESTICIDES  . ..CRISPR revolution opens door to ‘disaster-proof’ crops, BBC reports  Traditional crop breeding can be time-consuming and laborious, Brad Ringeisen, the executive director of the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) at the University of California (Berkeley and San Francisco), believes that gene editing using tools like Crispr-Cas9 is the most impactful way of ensuring that crops can withstand disasters, BBC reports.  “It speeds up the innovation cycles. It is a precise tool.” Mr Ringeisen summarises the IGI’s work on disease resistance in crops: “There are a tremendous number of emerging diseases, and climate change is not helping this.” He says gene editing is a more elegant way of tackling disease than spraying more pesticides. As well as disease resistance, the IGI is working on drought tolerance. A rice variety that has been gene edited to reduce the number of pores on leaves, reducing water

ANTI-GMO TAG  PRESENTING 'MISSED OPPORTUNITY' FOR ZAMBIA  . ..as the perception continues to hinder  local research on GMOs,laments NBA By Alfonso Kasongo   Zambia’s biotechnology and biosafety regulator has regretted the labelling of the country as an anti-GMOs state,saying the notion has presented a 'missed opportunity' for the Southern African nation to diversify its agricultural technologies. The National Biosafety Authority (NBA) has also reviewed that once some  documents on the regulation of GMOs in the  country are finalized and validated, the Authority will be able to roll out commercialisation of biotechnology products. "Much as we seem not to have done anything on aspiring commercialisation, we have documents that are available which only require validation and these are documents within our control because they don't require a minister to approve but just a board of the NBA. The only documents that may require a minister is just Statutory Instrument

COURT DECISION TO HALT  PROPAGATION OF GM GOLDEN RICE IN PHILIPPINES TO WORSEN VITAMIN 'A' DEFICIENCIES IN CHILDREN, PREGNANT WOMEN IN AFRICA   ....over 3.5 million children in Africa lack Vitamin A,while over 700 million people depend on rice as staple food  By Alfonso Kasongo  A recent court decision in Philippines to block the commercial propagation of Golden Rice, a genetically modified crop,  will trigger more Vitamin A deficiencies in millions children and pregnant women in Africa, biotech experts have voiced out.  The propagation  and commercialisation of Golden Rice,a genetically engineered rice was halted by a Philippinean court citing precautionary principle and the interpretation of strict liability.  Golden Rice contains beta carotene, which offers a simple solution to combat vitamin A deficiency. Its yellow-orange color comes from this compound, which the body converts into vitamin A. Once available, it could greatly improve public health in rice-dependent communit