Nigerian Communities, Farmers Growing GM crops know too little to make informed decisions

On a recent afternoon, a dozen smallholder farmers gathered at Eziokwu village in Anambra State, alongside their colleague, Emmanuel Osondu, who was billed to share his experience after participating in the genetically modified cowpea farming experiment.

Mr Osondu, an indigene of the densely populated farming community of Eziokwu in Ndikelionwu town of the South-east state, was among farmers selected from across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to participate in the trial phase of the Pod Borer Resistant (PBR) cowpea project.

Last August, the farmers were given cowpea seeds genetically modified (GM) to resist the destructive pod-borer insect pest and improve yield to experiment on their farms.

Mr Osondu said his farm became the centre of attraction a few weeks after he planted the cowpea. “As you can see, I planted the beans at a roadside where everybody can see it,” the farmer said. He was quick to point out the sharp contrast between the traditional cowpea the farmers are used to and the new variety.

“I used to spray insecticides at least five times on the normal cowpea yet the crop will still be eaten by insects before harvest. But this one I sprayed only once, and it did very well. I harvested about two months after planting and the yield was impressive.

“They gave me half a cup and I harvested three painter buckets. If I planted the same amount of normal beans, I would have harvested only one painter,” the farmer said, adding that the new cowpea variety does not only look good in the eye but is also delicious to eat.

He said many farmers around the area witnessed the high performance of the crop hence the gathering that Sunday afternoon. “The rapid growth of the crop amazed everybody,”

“We saw it with our own eyes. The beans (BT cowpea) did very well. I would like to plant it myself,” a bearded young man among the group of farmers said as others took turns to give mostly positive reviews about the Bt cowpea.

Amid the upbeat mood, there was an awkward silence when the farmers were asked what they knew about the new variety of cowpea, where it came from, and how it was engineered.

Because none of the farmers in Eziokwu had grown GM cowpea, it was difficult for them to say anything about it. Any concerns with the new technology had not yet reached them.