The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) is holding the international symposium The Role of Agricultural Biotechnologies in Sustainable Food Systems and Nutrition

The symposium held on February 15-17 at the FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy, focused on the broad range of bio technologies that could result in yield increases, better nutritional qualities, and improved productiveness of crops, livestock, fish and trees benefiting family farmers and their food systems, nutrition and livelihoods. About 500 scientists, representatives of government, civil society, the private sector, academia, farmers’ associations and cooperatives participated in the three-day event.
The aim is to have scientific debates and exchange of ideas on practical cases that illustrate how Biotechnologies have worked successfully to benefit family farmers, food producers and consumers, especially in developing countries.

While opening the symposium, FAO Director General José Graziano da Silva called for increased access to AgriBiotech and removal of barriers between the technology and family farmers.

He also stressed that “Much more must be done to ensure that family farmers, especially those in developing countries, have access to agricultural bio technologies that can make their activities more productive and sustainable in the face of major challenges such as climate change and population growth”.

Dr. Barbara Zawedde- UBIC’s Coordinator is the only Ugandan representing Uganda at the Symposium at which she has presented factual overview of biotech progress in Uganda.

According to Sir Gordon Cornway, Professor of International Development at the Imperial College London and Director of Agriculture for Impact- Uganda is center for biotech in Africa-doing far better than the UK.

By Joshua Mutale