Dwindling Funding for Research Can Thwart Efforts to Combat Challenges

Professor Felix Dapare Dakora, President of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS), has said the devolution of research-for-development (R&D) funding could jeopardise prospects of combating some of the thorny issues of the environment and climate change.

He said that priority should be given R&D and devotion of greater more resources towards research work on the continent.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview, Prof Dakora said research discovery of a bacteria known as Rhizobia in the soil, is capable of converting nitrogen gas into fertilizer for utilisation by plants even in the face of severe climatic conditions was positive for food production and sustenance.

The soil bacteria discovered has proven to thrive even in the face of frightening projections of the impact of climate change.

He said Rhizobia bacteria converts nitrogen gas into fertilizer for assimilation by plants.

“Plants cannot utilise nitrogen gas on their own and science and technology is developing more crop species to withstand stress in relation to high temperatures, drought and other environmental factors.”

The AAS President said Bayer, a pharmaceutical firm, was diversifying its mode of operation by investing $100 million into research that could make it possible for bacteria to fix nitrogen gas in all crop plants.

“This research will make nitrogen gas readily available to plants rendering the use of fertilizer, a thing of the past.”

He said investing in traditional technologies that eliminates chemical residues in crop plants, which are noted for triggering the insurgence of dangerous diseases such as cancer, kidney problems, cardiovascular diseases and stroke could be minimised arbitrarily.

“Multinational pharmaceutical and chemical industries seemed to be thwarting the efforts for the use and promotion of organic means of fertilizer application.”

He urged National Standards Authorities in Africa to step up their game in relation to the invasion and importation of herbicides, weedicides and pesticides, many of which have turned out to be toxic to the soil, water bodies and the environment in general.

Prof Dakora said science and technology holds greater prospects to feed the continent’s projected 2.5 billion population by 2050.

Source: GNA