The International Food Policy Research Institute (Ifpri) has called on Africa to use the advantages inherent in Biotechnology to bring and end to the endemic problems of Hunger and poverty in the continent.

A statement from the organisation explained that Research into genetically modified (GM) crops is crucial to improving food security and reducing poverty in Africa.

"Food security is of serious concern to the African continent and public sector research into GM foods is of direct importance to the smallholder farmers, who need something both to eat and to sell,"

"Current biotech research has the potential to reduce the use of pesticides, increase drought tolerance and improve the nutritional value of staple foods," Ifpri said in the statement

The statement, which was based on the findings of a study on the development of GM crops by public research institutes in Egypt, Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe, stressed that despite the common view that corporations drove the GM food agenda, a few African countries had vibrant public biotech research programmes.

Ifpri said improvements in crops brought about by public biotech research could "benefit the environment, improve health, reduce the cost of food and increase the incomes of poor smallholder farmers throughout Africa". According to the organisation, a 10 percent increase in the level of agricultural productivity was associated with a 7.2 percent reduction in poverty.

Cohen said research into GM crops by African governments often targeted the improvement of indigenous plant varieties relevant to local use by small-scale farmers. Kenya, for example, was engaged in public biotech research into producing drought-resistant maize; Uganda was involved in researching insect-resistant bananas.

He emphasised the importance of GM research in Africa reaching a stage where it could help the farmers, noting that "if the research stays in the lab, there will be no benefit to the farmers". However, the introduction of GM seeds into African soil and GM crops into indigenous markets is an issue that remains extremely contentious; critics have argued that biotechnology is not the solution to Africa's poverty and hunger.

"We have not exploited research into conventional seeds enough," Angela Wauye, officer in charge of food security at Action Aid Kenya, told Irin. "In Kenya, we are not ready to handle GM crops - we do not even have a biosafety bill in place."

Cohen stressed that the agency was interested in "biosafety first", saying all plants produced by the various public biotech research institutes were submitted for review to the relevant national biosafety channels and regulatory bodies.

"We must address the real reasons our agricultural sector is performing so dismally," Wauye said. "Poor farmers must be empowered by the government to be able to access credit, cheaper farm inputs and better infrastructure."

She pointed out that "because of poor roads, transporting crops from Marsabit [northern Kenya] to [the eastern Kenyan port of] Mombasa is more expensive than transporting the goods from Mombasa to Europe."

Wauye also said not enough was known about the effects of GM crops on the environment and on human health. "We may not have seen any effects of GM crops so far, but more research needs to be done into their side effects over prolonged periods."

Although research was a very important component of the struggle to end hunger, Wauye noted that it was important to focus the research on issues that were relevant to Africa. "The research must be driven by national needs - we must be our own agenda-setters," she added.

As the need to ensure sustainable management of world fisheries increases, biotechnology is becoming a useful tool in ensuring the most effective and sustainableuse of fisheries.

A statement from Agbioview explains that a genetically modified plant that produces all the healthy fats found in oily fish has been developed by British scientist therefore ensuring that exploitation of Oily fish is reduced to sustainable levels .

The weedy type of cress was genetically upgraded to make it rich in polyunsaturated fats known as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The fats are believed to help reduce heart disease and, according to some scientists, improve brain function and mood.

According to the report, Baoxiu Qi and Colin Lazarus, plant biologists at Bristol University, developed it as an alternative source of the fats. Oily fish are especially rich in omega-3; omega-6 is found in certain grains and poultry.

The cress was modified with genes taken from three different microorganisms and its production of the fats raises hopes that plants will one day be a viable alternative source.

"The next step is to add the same set of genes to leafy salad vegetables such as spinach and lettuce," said Mr. Lazarus.

The use of modified plants would take the pressure off severely depleted fish stocks. The potential benefits do not end there, according to the biologists.

Oils made from the plants are also likely to be more pure than many fish oil supplements. People with diets lacking in the fats from fish, such as vegans, may stand to benefit. "The problem is that the people most likely to benefit from eating these plants are the most unlikely to go near them because they are genetically modified," Mr. Lazarus said.

Fish and chicken are among the primary sources of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid, but other food contain them, albeit in smaller quantities. Walnuts, flax seed oil and hemp all contain omega-3 while olive oil and other vegetable oils are rich in omega-6 fatty acids.

Liz O'Neil, of the Vegetarian Society, was not convinced that vegetarians would welcome the development. "We're not crying out for it," she said. "If you make sure you eat the right foods, you can already get all the omega-3 and omega-6 oils you need. There are issues with GM and it's certainly not popular among our members."

The Vegan Society was also skeptical. "At the end of the day, this is not about human good, it's about making a profit," a spokesman said.

According to Dr., Lazarus, whose work is published in the journal Nature Biotechnology today, the plants could be turned into animal feed and used in the battle against global warming.

Cows and other ruminants belch out vast quantities of methane, which accelerates warming. "If you feed cattle and sheep these polyunsaturated fats, they expel much less methane," Mr. Lazarus said. The work was funded by the German crop biotechnology company BASF.