ABSTRACT

The global crisis in food production and climate change is raising the status of Africa as a source of growth and investment in the eyes of many countries looking to feed their people. In the eyes of many agriculture in Africa is viewed as big business. African farmers will, in the future, move away from subsistence to large-scale and commercial farming. But in order to do this they will have to embrace modern technology, including biotechnology, to boost the currently low productivity, and amongst the tools of biotechnology lies the adoption of genetically modified (GM) crops. However, no single technology can be viewed as a ‘silver bullet’ and together with increasing crop productivity must come improvements in infrastructure, including road and rail transportation, energy and education. African farmers must become educated in new technologies as well as in the economics of food production, and one of the best ways to ensure food security for future generations is to invest in the education of women.