Podcast: Genetically Modified Crops for Sustainable Agriculture in Tanzania?

Shortages in agricultural production regularly affect poor populations in the Global South independently of such shocks as the current Russian war in Ukraine. The attempts of the European countries to combat climate change– flagged under the name “Bioeconomy” – by substituting their non-renewable resources by renewables, especially biomass, will fortify the pressure on agricultural markets in the near future. In these debates, genetical modification of crops has become a highly controversial policy topic. As often in heated debates, political realities and their ethical evaluation are much more nuanced. This podcast sheds light on the recent dynamics in Tanzanian politics of genetically modified crops and reflects on political interests and ethical reasons behind them: a conversation between Thomas Potthast – professor for Ethics, Theory, and History of the Life Sciences at the Tübingen University – and Richard Mbunda – researcher in the field of political economy of agriculture at the University of Dar es Salaam.