Biowatch South Africa

Biowatch researches, monitors, and publicizes issues around GMOs, as well as promotes biological diversity, biosafety, food sovereignty, and social justice.

[2] The organization works with community members and the government to ensure the protection of farmer's rights, as well as the continuation of sustainable and ethical food production systems.

[2] In order to achieve these goals, Biowatch supports policies which encourage agroecology, with hopes that the food production sector can make the best use of nature's goods and services without also damaging these valuable resources.

BioWatch argues in favor of agroecology as a way of pushing back against the increase in greenhouse gas emissions that the current industrial food sector of production emits.

Brot für die Welt (Bread for the World) is a German, Protestant church organization committed to enabling smallholder farmers enough land to yield healthy food for their family throughout the year, as well as maintaining control over seeds.

[4] Lastly, the Thousand Currents program, a grassroots charity organization, promotes sustainable food production methods and protecting biodiversity, as well as prioritizing producers over shareholders and corporations.

BioWatch is the founding partner and project holder of the regional Seed and Knowledge Initiative (SKI), which is a group of South African organizations committed to achieving food sovereignty.

[12] Roughly 8 years later, the SAGENE drafted the GMO Act, allowing the production of genetically modified crops, which was passed by parliament in 1997, but not in effect until 1999.

[13] Of all the environmental organizations, Biowatch remains the most active opponent of GMOs in South Africa, lobbying for appealing provisions of the GMO act.

[11] Biowatch argues that the regulation of GMOs in South Africa is inherently flawed, as it approves field trials and commercial release of crops that pose major health risks to the environment and the surrounding populations.

[1] A report across five countries, based on a 2003 pilot study conducted by the Open Society Justice Initiative, shows that South Africa responded to only 23% of all access to information requests.

The preamble states, "RECOGNISING THAT- * the system of government in South Africa before 27 April 1994, amongst others, resulted in a secretive and unresponsive culture in public and private bodies which often led to an abuse of power and human rights violations... AND IN ORDER TO- * foster a culture of transparency and accountability in public and private bodies by giving effect to the right of access to information; * actively promote a society in which the people of South Africa have effective access to information to enable them to more fully exercise and protect all of their rights.

[16] The NDA responded with very little information which was deemed inadequate in fulfilling the requests of Biowatch, leading the organization to seek legal aid the following year, in 2001.

The section states that "everyone has the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being; and to have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations, through reasonable legislative and other measures that prevent pollution and ecological degradation; promote conservation; and secure ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development".

[17] For the first time in South African history, information surrounding the impacts of GM crops on environmental and social communities had become available to the public.

[8] Over the next 4 years, Biowatch appealed to the state and awaited what they felt was a just response, demanding that they not pay the legal costs over an issue that was voiced as a public concern.

Biowatch South Africa has worked extensively towards protecting farmers through policy submissions, research papers, direct action, and more.