Can GMOs play a role in adapting Ugandas agriculture to climate change?
– Barbara Zawedde, Horticulture and Environmental Science and Policy Program, MSU Uganda is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change. A major cause of its vulnerability is low adaptative capacity due to high dependence on natural resources for livelihoods. The majority of the labor force (80%) depends on agriculture, which is extremely vulnerable to climate change. Addressing Uganda’s vulnerability requires understanding the impacts of climate change on agriculture and identifying relevant adaptation strategies. Ongoing studies of climate change and agriculture have recommended adoption of stress-resistant crop varieties as a feasible strategy. Genetic engineering provides tools that can be used to develop stress-resistant crop varieties known as genetically modified organisms (GMOs). However, for Uganda to adopt GMOs as an adaptation strategy, a number of concerns must be addressed and strategies implemented. These include investing in research and development, putting i
