Zimbabwe: Seminars Set to Advance Cause of Science

Source from:  The Herald (Harare) 17 September 2007 09/18/2007

The Tobacco Research Board has launched science seminar series to be held once every month to raise awareness on science and unleash the creative and innovative potential of Zimbabwean scientists. TRB general manager Dr Anxious Masuka told scientists and policymakers who attended the first high-profile science seminar series at Kutsaga Research Station recently that the seminars would aim to keep the "scientific flame" alive in Zimbabwe. "We have started the seminar series to be held once every month on a Thursday to try and keep the scientific flame alive in Zimbabwe," he said. "The country is still facing numerous challenges and despite this, it is important to be able to create a critical scientific mass. One way of doing so is to be able to meet regularly to share our passions as a country. "We want to ensure that the seminar series will keep the science flame alive," he said. Leading scientific experts from various universities in Africa and across the world would be invited to present papers on their findings to help promote new scientific understanding that will enhance the creative and innovative potential of local scientists. "Due to the massive brain drain the country has suffered in the past five to 10 years, seminars, conferences and other important gatherings for scientists have been few and far between, creating huge gaps in terms of information and knowledge sharing and exchange of ideas. Dr Masuka said the new science seminar series will help to build closer links and collaboration between local scientists and others in the region and globally. "Scientists now know that creative people use the same thought processes that everyone else uses every day. The people we think of as creative simply work harder at it, they spend more time generating ideas, thinking about problems and coming up with potential solutions. They are not solitary geniuses; they know how to tap into the power of collaboration," said a Harare-based researcher at the launch of the seminar series. "Working together, creativity is available to all of us and we can help find solutions to some of the country's pressing problems," Prof Christopher Chetsanga, the president of the Zimbabwe Academy of Sciences, said the new science seminar series is critical for the local scientific community and both the public and private sectors should support it to ensure continuity. "It's very important for us and I hope resources will be available to ensure continuity. It will be beneficial to students of science in our universities. It fills the void and it's very good for the cause of science in Zimbabwe," he said. Added Dr Masuka: "We want to advance the cause of science in Zimbabwe even under these difficult and trying times." He said the themes would focus on research findings on tobacco and other subjects of a wider scientific appeal. The first guest speaker and presenter of the series was Prof. Jennifer Thompson, a microbiologist and professor at the University of Cape Town. Prof. Thompson specialises in "resurrection plants" and transgenic plants, which are virus resistant and drought tolerant. She is a regular writer and speaker internationally on the subject of genetically modified organisms; especially crops and foods derived from them. Her new book, Genes for Africa, discusses in depth the debate surrounding the GMOs in Africa and argues for their use in enhancing the continent's food security. At the new TRB science seminar series, Prof. Thompson presented a paper titled "The Development of GM Maize for Virus Resistance and Abiotic Stress Tolerance" on the findings of Crop scientists in South Africa who developed a maize variety that is resistant to maize streak virus. She said this was a first for Africa and the findings would help alleviate food scarcity and promote the appreciation of genetically modified (GM) foods in Africa. "The maize streak virus is endemic in Africa causing huge economic losses to both commercial and smallholder farmers. Some farmers lose everything to the maize streak virus. In this study which we carried over the past 10 years, we make the plant produce mutant ribs so that the virus may not replicate," she said. "The research which was done by crop scientists who include Zimbabwe's Tichaona Mangwende and Dahlia Garwe worked beyond our wildest dreams," an excited Prof. Thompson told local scientists. The team of crop scientists, she said was from the University of Cape Town working in close collaboration with Pannar Seed Company. The major findings of this research, Prof. Thompson said, indicate that the new variety shows resistance to the virus in successive plant generations and in crosses with other varieties. She said despite the stringent biosafety requirements that are set to cost US$10 million to verify, the new findings will help to address other viral diseases affecting African food crops such as the wheat dwarf virus, sugarcane streak virus and other viruses that affect barley, oats and millet. "We still need to do biosafety and risks assessment as well as allergenic tests. We are producing maize that is going to resist the maize streak virus," she said. Prof. Thompson said the maize streak virus (MSV), which is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, slows the growth of infected plants and causes them to grow deformed cobs, reducing the amount of grain that can be harvested from the staple crop in this region. She said the scientists mutated a viral gene that encodes a protein the virus needs to replicate itself and inserted it into maize plants. And, she added that when the virus infects the GM maize, the presence of the mutated protein prevents the virus from replicating and killing the plant. MSV is transmitted to maize by small insects called leafhoppers. The disease, which also causes huge losses to farmers in Zimbabwe, is a result of complex interactions between the plant, the virus and insect. Prof. Thompson said the research team created an MSV-resistant maize variety by genetic engineering using an approach known as pathogen-derived resistance. This means that a gene (the smallest unit of life) from the viral pathogen is used to protect the plant from that pathogen. The University of Cape Town microbiologist said the next stage of the research will involve field trials to ensure the transformed crop when eaten is safe, the protein is not an allergen and that it will be ecologically friendly to other organisms within the environment. Dr Garwe, a microbiologist at Tobacco Research Station, also presented the findings of the spread of GMO products and seed in five selected Southern African countries, which included Namibia, Malawi, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. She said the study showed that GMO products and seed are fast spreading into most Southern African countries, which lack the technological capacity to screen and detect them. The preliminary GMO spread report was done by the Biotechnology Trust of Zimbabwe in collaboration with Community Technology Development Trust, Tobacco Research Board and other research institutions in Zambia, Namibia, Swaziland and Malawi. Dr Garwe said the study was conducted to identify potentially modified products in these selected countries and identify modes and mechanisms of entry as well as the distribution of GMOs in the five countries. She said the results of the survey are preliminary and should not be generalised for countries where the survey was done but be viewed as being indicative of the situation in the region. She took time to explain what GMOs were about giving the basic scientific details of GMOs, how the GMO spread survey was done and discussed the techniques which were used to identify and detect the GMOs in the region. Key findings of the GMO spread survey showed that: Awareness of biotechnology and policy issues is low in the region; lConcerns of people included health, weak policies and poor control mechanism; Some countries are recipients of GMOs since none have commercialised except South Africa; Food aid cited as one major feeder of GMO crops. Dr Garwe said the main challenges that were identified included the need to put in place mechanisms to deal with the problems on the ground, the need to quantify the amount of GM material in the region. "We still need more funding to enable us to continue with the GMO spread study in he region," she said. Suspected GMO products in the five countries included maize, cotton, soyabeans, livestock feed, tobacco, bananas, potatoes, poultry products and vegetables. Most African countries still have reservations about GMOs and seeds and only a few countries allow them legally despite having no capacity to prevent their spread. In the five countries under the GMO spread survey, locations were suspected plants are believed to be grown were those under research, food aid recipient locations in addition to border areas. Opponents of GMOs in Africa fear that the continent's farmers could lose market access to Europe. European consumers are quite sensitive to GMO food despite commercial claims that they are safe. Agricultural experts say if Africa turns to GMO seeds and foods, Europe may not buy them. When asked about the fears on GMOs, Prof. Thompson said this all boiled down to misconceptions and lack of understanding. "I don't see GM crops as a silver bullet but it's just part of enhancing food security. Anti-GMO activists need understanding of the work that scientists do. Using biotechnology we aim to improve farm yields and reduce risks related to diseases and drought," she said. "Africa has a huge potential to exploit the benefits of using biotechnology to enhance food security. It's us who worry more about hunger and diseases such as the maize stalk virus are endemic in Africa, so we have to find solutions to these problems." "We have a huge pool of highly skilled scientists in Africa, we have the potential," Prof. Thompson said. "The anti-GMO movement is a problem and it comes down to understanding. Regulators need to understand the consequences of negative thinking. Regulators should not keep away solutions to farmers that need them." She said partnerships between the private, public sector and scientists were important in mobilising resources for research. Despite, her assurances, there is growing concern about the transfer of genetic material through cross pollination, its impact on other species and the effects on human beings, animal and plant health. Opponents of GMOs fear that transgenic crops could cause loss of biodiversity by displacing wild species, traditional seed varieties and could also "contaminate" organic crops. GMO issues are a hotbed of debate. Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian legend, once said: "Science without humanity is one of the seven blunders of the world." And, true, science with humanity is what Africa needs! Enditem