In 2019, the Nigerian government held a series of Science Cafes to communicate the science behind the genetically modified cowpea and how it could be used to fight the pod borer pest. The cowpea is not only a major food source for Nigerians, but it also happens to be one of the country’s main exports. As the pod borer can wipe out as much as 80% of a farmer’s crop, finding a way to fight this pest is critically important.

Despite the success and necessity for this piece of technology, certain groups expressed skepticism. In this episode, I talk to science journalist and returning guest Etta Michael Bisong who has been covering the use of GMOs in Nigeria, and Iida Ruishalme to explain the science. We discuss why there is fear and hesitation in adopting GMOs, how science communicators can do better, and how messaging from developed nations can promote fear and hesitancy in developing countries.

When Science Communication Backfires

Nigeria is the world’s largest producer and consumer of cowpea and the first African nation to commercialize a genetically modified crop—the potential implications for the continent could be huge. To educate the public, the Nigerian government started an information campaign to educate the public about the science behind this new crop and what it means for everyone. Unfortunately, anti-GMO activists have stepped up their own misinformation campaign, voicing their opposition to the crop.

As Etta explains, research into this crop started back around the mid-1990s and this new type of crop can go a long way towards growing Nigeria’s economy. Nigeria also established the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) to properly regulate the use of biotechnology in the country. There was a massive public outcry in 2015, long after NBMA was established.

Iida points out a certain irony. Organizations like NBMA are usually established to ensure public safety and promote that message but sometimes their very existence can backfire and turn the public against the technology they are promoting. It seems as if people think if they are putting that much effort into trying to promote the technology’s safety then there must be something to hide—the technology must be unsafe.

This is an important lesson for science communicators as we assume if we give people correct information they can easily digest and understand, they will learn and change their minds. That is not always the case.

The Science of Bt-cowpea

Iida explained the science behind and need for genetically modified cowpea: The goal is to prevent insects from attacking the crop. In this case, it is the podborer that attacks the crop and does the most damwge. The best time to do this is by spraying pesticides when the podborer starts feeding on the crop but this has the side-effect of killing other insects.

One chemical used is Bt-toxin, a naturally derived toxin from the soil-dwelling bacteria, bacillus thuringiensis. One advantage is this bacteria can easily be harvested from the soil to produce the toxin. This naturally derived insecticide is used by organic farmers on their crops.

The biggest advantage is that the toxin is very specific to insects. The toxin is only active inside an insect’s stomach, which is alkaline (unlike ours which is acidic). Proteins found in the toxin then bind to receptors in the insect’s gut called Cry receptors. This results in a cascade of effects that end with the insect’s death. This also means a lessened environmental impact: the surrounding wildlife isn’t affected, only the insects that eat crops.

Economic Benefits to GMO Cowpea

As Etta points out, there are (huge) economic benefits of using this technology to his nation. Nigeria is the world’s largest producer of cowpea. Any pest that can wipe out 80% of a crop will have devastating effects on a farmer’s livelihood and world production.

The crop is also a major source of protein for Nigerians. As it is also cheap, this protein source is accessible to the poorest members of society. All of this, and the fact that less (toxic) chemicals go into production, means long-term economic and health benefits to the country.

How do we communicate science?

We all agree on one thing: communicating the science of GMOs is difficult but necessary. As much as we would like to tell scientists to do a better job, that isn’t a solution. As Iida pointed out, most scientists don’t have the skill set to communicate to the public and as much as we would like to just present the public with data and facts in the hope it changes people’s minds, that does not always happen.

We all agreed that people respond when they connect with the message in front of them. This is were science communicators and journalists like Etta come in. Rather than write about empirical data, we can tell stories on how this affects the lives of farmers and benefits consumers of this crop.

Concluding Thoughts

We discussed a myriad of topic in this episode, from the science behind BT cowpea, how that benefits Nigerians (and the world), how that science can be communicated, and how negative messaging on GMOs from developed nations harms developing countries. Listening should give you a lot to think about.