The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture
Organisation (FAO) José Graziano da Silva has said that agro-biotechnologies
are essential in fight against hunger, reports NaijaAgroNet.
Addressing the opening session of the FAO-hosted
international symposium on "The Role of Agricultural Biotechnologies in
Sustainable Food Systems and Nutrition the need for a broad portfolio of tools
and approaches to eradicate hunger, fight every form of malnutrition and
achieve sustainable agriculture."
"As a neutral forum, FAO has been promoting debates,
dialogues and exchanges of information in order to enhance our knowledge of
these tools and approaches," the DG said.
The symposium, de
Silva said, focuses mainly on the broad range of biotechnologies that could
result in yield increases, better nutritional qualities, and improved
productivities of crops, livestock, fish and trees benefitting family farmers
and their food systems, nutrition and livelihoods.
These, he said, include many "low tech"
applications, for example fermentation processes, bio-fertilizers, artificial
insemination, the production of vaccines, disease diagnostics, the development
of bio-pesticides and the use of molecular markers in developing new varieties
and breeds.
"We cannot lose sight that biotechnologies, knowledge
and innovation must be available, accessible and applicable to family farmers
including small holders," Graziano da Silva told symposium participants.
"We must find the means to remove the barriers that prevent their
availability to family farmers.
The symposium,he said, is not about genetically modified
organisms (GMOs), pointing out that agricultural biotechnologies are much
broader than GMOs.
About 500 scientists, representatives of government, civil
society, the private sector, academia, farmers' associations and cooperatives
are participated in the three day event.
Isaac Oyimah/GEE
... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology
No comments:
Post a Comment
Share ur views here