Study urges balanced expectations for agricultural innovations being developed in Ghana

A new study is urging balanced expectations for agricultural innovations being developed in Ghana. The study cautions that overhyping such technologies could fuel public scepticism and mistrust. The study, led by Dr. Joseph Opoku Gakpo, Ghanaian Research Scholar at the Hub for Food Systems Communication and Engagement at North Carolina State University, noted, "This could potentially reinforce dominant narratives and may heighten public scepticism of the technology."

The study, titled "News media framing of gene-edited crops: a study of sources and perspectives," assessed news media reporting on the technology in Ghana between 2021 and 2024. The study found that news reports were overwhelmingly pro-innovation, but consumer opinions and opposing viewpoints were notably absent. The study was published in the Journal of Science Communication (JCOM). Ghana's National Biosafety Authority (NBA) has authorised the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute (BNARI) to undertake genome editing of rice to target resistance to yellow mottle virus disease and drought tolerance. In 2023, the NBA released guidelines outlining procedures researchers must follow when working on gene-edited crops, making Ghana the fourth country (after Nigeria, Kenya, and Malawi) to establish validated regulations for gene editing in Africa.

The African Union says 'genome editing presents a ray of hope as Africa confronts both food shortages and climate change.' Some researchers have also previously explored gene editing to develop a sweet potato variety with enhanced Vitamin A content. The study cautions that the news media's overreliance on elite sources for information, while excluding grassroots, critical and alternative perspectives, could trigger perceptions of elite manipulative intent (PEMI).