The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has invited public comments on a proposal by the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) to commercialise genetically modified (GM) cassava across 18 counties.
- •In a notice, NEMA said it has received an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Study Report for the proposed commercialisation of GM cassava with robust and durable resistance to cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and cassava brown streak disease (CBSD).
- •The proposed rollout targets Lamu, Kilifi, Kwale, Taita Taveta, Makueni, Kitui, Machakos, Tharaka Nithi, Embu, Nakuru, Baringo, Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia, Vihiga, Kisumu, Migori, and Homa Bay counties, regions where cassava is widely grown for both food and income.
- •A new study warns that delays in adopting biotechnology crops are costing Kenyan farmers billions of shillings every year.
According to the EIA report, the project seeks to improve yields, reduce losses, and enhance food security while addressing potential environmental and social impacts. The report identifies possible challenges such as illegal release of planting material, non-adherence to biosafety protocols, perceived food safety concerns, limited farmer knowledge, and poor storage practices.
It proposes mitigation measures including strict regulatory compliance, careful seed multiplication, farmer sensitisation, and climate-smart cultivation methods.
Kenya’s National Biosafety Authority (NBA) approved the environmental release of genetically modified cassava in June 2021, paving the way for performance field trials by KALRO in Kilifi, Murang’a, and Busia.
The Cost of Delay
The NEMA move comes as a new report warns that Kenya is losing billions of shillings annually due to delays in adopting genetically modified crops that could significantly boost agricultural productivity and reduce pest losses.
The study, titled “The Cost of Delay”, estimates that Kenya has forfeited KSh 20.3 billion over the past five years by failing to fully commercialise Bt maize, Bt cotton, and late blight-resistant potato varieties.
The study found that delayed release of these biotech crops has denied smallholder farmers the opportunity to improve yields and lower production costs amid rising pest pressures from fall armyworm and diseases such as late blight. It projects that the economy could gain more than KSh 60.7 billion over the next three decades if the country adopts these improved crop varieties without further delay.
“The issue is misinformation, not regulation,” said Daniel Kyallo, Senior Manager for Agribusiness, Policy and Commercialisation. “Misinformation has clouded public understanding of biotechnology, keeping Kenya behind early adopters such as Nigeria and South Africa.”
Kenya has already approved several GM crops, including Bt cotton, Bt maize, and virus-resistant cassava, while trials for late blight-resistant potato and bio-fortified cassava continue in Busia and Nakuru counties.
KALRO plans to collaborate with regulatory agencies such as the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) and the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) to ensure that all approvals are in place before the cassava is released for commercial production.
The organisation also intends to work with county governments to train farmers and seed entrepreneurs, and to promote the use of hermetic storage technologies and improved post-harvest handling techniques.