BIOTECHNOLOGY AS ‘CULTURAL INVASION’: THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS ON FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND COMMUNITY BUILDING IN AFRICA

  • Steve de Gruchy School of Theology University of Natal

Abstract

With famine gripping much of Southern Africa, issues of hunger and food security are a key ethical concern for Christians in the subcontinent. This article examines the growing debate around the implications of Genetic Engineering for agriculture and food security from the perspective of social development. Drawing on the conceptual framework of dialogical and anti-dialogical action suggested by the Brazilian educationalist, Paulo Freire, the author argues that rather than being a solution to the problem, this kind of technology will further exacerbate the inequality and poverty that is at the root of hunger and famine. The article ends with a reflection on food sovereignty and community building in Africa.
Published
2013-06-12
Section
Articles