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CONGOLESE LEADERS FACE
GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS
Afumba Wandja, Democratic Republic of CongoIntroduction
In regard to the global food situation, hunger is considered an
injustice and a challenge to humanity. Despite progress accomplished
these last years in terms of economic growth and increase in world
food production, hunger figures are more and more worrying : more
than 842 million people are underfed, of whom 798 million live in
underdeveloped countries, 34 million in transition countries and
11 million in developed countries. Worst, according to specialist pre-
dictions, the world population will reach 9 billion in 2050. One obvi-
ous question faced by humanity is how to cope with future food
needs, as there are no answers now.
Fighting against hunger implies fighting fiercely against the deep
causes. Many causes are pointed to, in particular the productivity of
production factors (work, soil, seeds, etc.), low accessibility to food,
and population growth. In fighting against hunger, politicians and sci-
entists try to suggest radical and lasting solutions. Biotechnologies,
precisely applied in agricultural and food domains, stand amongst the
proposed and used solutions. Biotechnologies have produced new
techniques such as the artificial transfer of genes into what we are
now referring to as ‘Genetically Modified Organisms’ (GMOs).
Many biotechnologies, especially GMOs, are being discussed in
some circles. On the one hand, some people consider them as the
mainstay for the fight against hunger that will improve not only the
food quality and quantity, but also the quality of the environment. On
the other hand, some think that they impede food independence, bio-
diversity protection, and sustainable development.
Beyond agronomical, food, and economic considerations, another
opinion questions this issue from an ethical point of view. This is
because GMOs question certain values and principles that have
always guided humanity. In fact, at the creation, God blessed man
(male and female) by saying : ‘Be fruitful and increase in number ; fill
the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of
the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’
(Gen 1 :28) Through this blessing, God provides human beings with