The African continent is emerging in many ways, yet still is developing economically. Technology is a huge part of the African transformation, yet farmers there are often forbidden to use crop technologies that were developed for Africa, by African scientists and governments. The resistance is rooted in a vigorous disinformation campaign by European NGOs that spread fear, uncertainty and doubt among the African populations. In June 2019 these organizations funded a meeting on Agroecology in Nairobi Kenya. Part of the conference was a performance by four all stars of the anti-agriculture, anti-technology-for-Africa movement. Tyrone Hayes, Giles-Eric Seralini, Don M. Huber, and Judy Carman all alarmed a diverse audience of farmers, students and politicians about the dangers of biotechnology and agricultural chemistry. But one man stood in the way of the campaign. Rob Wager is a faculty member at Vancouver Island University. He attended the conference, asked tough questions (when allowed), interacted with media, and spoke with students. He provided a scientific counter to the disinformation being launched with the intent of skewing public opinion away from potentially life-saving technologies.

Visit Rob’s website: www.robertwager.com
Follow him on Twitter: @RobertWager1

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The Talking Biotech podcast is distinct from Dr. Kevin Folta's teaching and research roles at the University of Florida. The views expressed on the show are those of Dr. Folta and his guests, and do not reflect the opinions of the university or Colabra.

Countering Disinformation in Africa