Shortages in agricultural production regularly affect poor populations in the Global South
independently of such shocks as the current Russian war in Ukraine. The attempts of the European
countries to combat climate change– flagged under the name “Bioeconomy” – by substituting their
non-renewable resources by renewables, especially biomass, will fortify the pressure on
agricultural markets in the near future. In these debates, genetical modification of crops has
become a highly controversial policy topic. As often in heated debates, political realities and
their ethical evaluation are much more nuanced.
This podcast sheds light on the recent dynamics in Tanzanian politics of genetically modified
crops and reflects on political interests and ethical reasons behind them: a conversation
between Thomas Potthast – professor for Ethics, Theory, and History of the Life Sciences at the
Tübingen University – and Richard Mbunda – researcher in the field of political economy of
agriculture at the University of Dar es Salaam.