By Tesfaye Getnet
Birhane Kidane, a 35-year-old Addis resident who lives in the city, was asked what he felt about genetically modified organisms. He responded, “I don’t know the basic thing about GMO but what the little information I get from my surroundings and the media is GMO is inorganic food which may cause health problem in the future.”
Birhane complained that he wasn’t getting complete and enough information on GMO.
“I have no knowledge of genetically modified organisms, honesty be damned, and even the media I read and listen to lacks in-depth investigation and analysis. Some of the information I learn regarding GMOs has a much more negative tone.
Mikias Megerssa, another young man in Addis who works for Ethiopia Insurance Corporation, believes that the media is not critically critiquing GMOs.”
“I am aware that solving our food problems will take some innovation and investigation. I consume an inordinate amount of food—nearly half of my income—if you were to look at me. I firmly believe that in order to feed our population, we must increase food production. Although I am aware that GMO crops boost productivity in wealthy nations, the media never explains what GMO genuinely means to us before we travel to Ethiopia.” He said .
Food that has been altered genetically (by the insertion of a gene from another organism) is referred to as genetically modified (GM) food (WHO, 2016). Currently, the majority of GM meals on the market come from plants, but in the future, it’s likely that GM foods made from GM microorganisms or GM animals will also be sold. The majority of GM crops currently in use have been created to increase yield through the addition of genes that increase plant disease resistance or herbicide tolerance.
One of the most divisive concerns has existed since the 1990s, when GMOs first appeared on the market. Yet more than 75 countries import, grow, and research genetically modified organisms. The Ethiopian government authorised the use of GMOs for both research and commercial reasons in August 2015 by releasing precise regulations for each circumstance.
Genetically modified (GM) foods are largely unknown to Ethiopian consumers and farmers. The vast majority of media outlets in developing countries, especially in Ethiopia, place considerable focus on consumers’ approval of genetically modified foods without doing a critical analysis of it.
Former Ethio FM radio editor Dawit Astatke asserted that the editors’ and reporters’ lack of knowledge of the topic is to blame for the subpar portrayal of the advantages of GM food in Ethiopia.
“I doubt we’ll be able to locate a news source in Ethiopia that describes and explains GM food. I’ve observed that media frequently discuss the negative aspects of GM food without fully understanding what that word refers to.”
“The media should take into account how it is used in industrialised countries. What biosecurity precautions are in place? What are its advantages and disadvantages? What benefits do GM foods have for ensuring increased job creation and food production?
All other queries must also be critically and professionally answered.
But it’s not in the media. Even in-depth analyses of the GM Cotton and Maize trial in Ethiopia are lacking, and from what I can tell, Ethiopians’ perception of GM food is a result of inadequate media analysis.
In order to capitalise on the attention they obtain from fanning conspiracy theories, several media sources routinely disseminate intriguing material and provocative headlines that frequently lack factual veracity.”
Lack of in-depth knowledge of GMOs was found to be the conclusion of Adugnaw Admas’ study, “Perception towards Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOS) of Regulatory and Service Providers in Selected National Regional States of Ethiopia”.
He stated that;”the use of GMO for research and commercial purpose has been given permission in Ethiopia since August, 2015. Moreover, companies such as DuPont and Monsanto control 90% GM foods in the United Stated, they supplied the soybeans and the corn seeds to the whole world. Despite these known facts, the findings of this study has shown that that the awareness level of regulators and service providers towards GMO concept was below expectation since 18% reported that they have not heard at all about GMOs. It can be speculated that a higher proportion of the Ethiopian public also lacks awareness on GMOs. This clearly shows that there is a need to increase the awareness and understanding about GMOs in Ethiopian regulatory and service providing institutions. The study also showed that environment regulatory bodies were not interested to see biotech crops in Ethiopia even though they repeatedly heard about GMOs.”
The director of communication at the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Deresse Teshome, thinks that even though there are media sources that support high-quality GM works, more work needs to be done.
“It’s true that journalists have a hard time understanding GMOs since it’s such a wide topic. Because of a lack of specialisation, journalism is constrained in Ethiopia. Science, agriculture, and business are all present in industrialised countries, as well as journalists.In Ethiopia, we must establish a network of local beat reporters. to provide specific information to the audience.
“We have been training journalists to help them grasp the topic in order to fill the gap in the coverage of GMOs, and we are starting to see some promising outcomes. We don’t tell them that genetically modified organisms are good or terrible; rather, we advise them to do some research and consult experts before bringing the issue up in public.
Deresse claimed that there are fake specialists who know little about genetically modified organisms but portray themselves as knowing a lot about them in the media. When presenting GMO experts, the media should pause.because the general public should not base decisions on erroneous and unreliable information from the media. The more accurate information we possess, the more accurate the perception we will construct.