Famine and the GM Debate

Amid the efforts to cope with a famine threatening 30 million people, a row is raging over genetically modified (GM) food aid. Zambian president Levy Mwanawasa refused GM food aid calling it "poison". Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Malawi are concerned that letting in food aid containing genetically modified material will lead to the planting of seeds and the contamination of domestic crops. Angola, Lesotho and Swaziland have not adopted positions on GM but have not refused aid containing genetically modified food.