Agriculture

How gene editing could transform farming across Africa

Wednesday 05 February 2025 - 13:00

By: Dakir Madiha

How gene editing could transform farming across Africa

Africa faces worsening food insecurity driven by droughts, climate change, and ongoing conflicts. Millions across the continent are affected, and United Nations projections warn that over 582 million people worldwide will be chronically undernourished by 2030, with Africa bearing more than half of that burden.

To address this crisis, governments, researchers, and international organizations are investing in strategies to strengthen agricultural resilience. These include sustainable land management, improved soil fertility, irrigation projects, better access to seeds and fertilizers, and the development of climate-resilient crops. Central to these innovations is the use of advanced agricultural technologies aimed at boosting yields.

One promising tool is CRISPR, a gene-editing technology that enables scientists to make precise modifications to the DNA of plants and animals. At University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) in Morocco, associate professor Valentine Otang Ntui is conducting early research on CRISPR, highlighting its potential role in enhancing food security across Africa.

Ntui explained that genome editing, including CRISPR, accelerates natural processes of genetic change. While certain genetic traits can leave crops vulnerable to disease, CRISPR pinpoints and alters these traits, enhancing resilience to environmental stresses. Instead of waiting years for such adaptations to emerge naturally, the technology allows scientists to replicate them rapidly in laboratory conditions.

Unlike traditional genetic engineering, which introduces foreign DNA, CRISPR modifies only the organism’s own genetic material. Ntui noted that this distinction makes CRISPR faster, more accurate, and free from external genes. The result is crops and livestock that are more resistant to disease and better adapted to harsh environments, while remaining closer to what occurs naturally or through conventional breeding.

For Africa, where food insecurity continues to escalate, CRISPR offers a potential breakthrough. Its ability to create resilient crops could help the continent confront the intertwined challenges of hunger, climate change, and conflict.