Seeds of Control

Scientists around the world are racing to develop and patent new varieties of food crops using a novel gene editing technology.

The ‘CRISPR’ method, invented in 2012, allows scientists to “cut and paste” DNA of living organisms. Derived from a bacterial immune system, CRISPR revolutionized the world of genetic engineering, freeing inventors from having to introduce foreign DNA to make major changes in the genome of plants, animals, and even humans.

Since its invention, public institutions and agribusiness companies in China and the U.S. have led the race to create new types of crops deemed “safer” than traditional genetically modified organisms (GMOs) by many regulatory bodies. Top crops include rice, corn/maize and tomatoes, but applications have been filed for almost 100 different crops.

Here’s how the invention has progressed, according to patent applications filed in the World Intellectual Patent Organization (WIPO). It's a non-exhaustive list, since some inventions may not file in this international database, but still provides a good assessment of the world’s attempts to genetically engineer our food supplies.

CRISPR: Farmer-friendly or debt creating in Africa?

Research institutes and agribusiness companies are quick to tout the technology’s benefits. Some institutes have engineered drought-resistant plants that can help communities adapt to climate change. Others are promoting gene-edited crops that can resist diseases, like lethal necrosis, which originated in Kenya in 2011 and devastated maize crops across East Africa.

The WIPO data shows the share of patents for improving specific crops like rice, maize, tomatoes and soybeans have increased, such as for developing disease resistance, improving yields and helping plants adapt to drought and extreme temperatures.

African markets are a major target, where economies that depend primarily on agriculture have become more volatile under climate change. Crops in the Horn of Africa, already in the midst of the worst drought in 40 years, have been simultaneously bludgeoned by pests and diseases. At least thirteen CRISPR research projects are underway for crops in Africa, including bananas, cassava, cocoa, maize, rice and sorghum.

“Why these really stand out to those of us who have been researching genetic engineering for a long time is because these are crops that are are not necessarily commercial crops or are not necessarily the types of crops that you see big players like Bayer or Syngenta developing and selling seeds for,” said Joeva Rock, an anthropology researcher at Stony Brook University who studies genetically modified crops in Africa.

But some farmers’ associations are resisting the technology, accusing it of being another force of market-based neocolonialism disguised as climate-smart practices. While most news reports paint CRISPR as a “magic bullet” to end famines and help farmers across the Global South, my analysis of WIPO patents shows that major American agribusiness companies are among the top owners for CRISPR crop inventions - some of the very companies that have wreaked havoc on many farmers in the developing world through GMOs and pesticides.

This includes American giant Monsanto Technology, now owned by German company Bayer. For decades, this GMO giant has been embroiled in thousands of lawsuits around the health impacts of its herbicides that have been linked to cancer.

Another American company, Corteva Agriscience, also has its hand in many of the patented inventions through its subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred International or through partnerships. U.S.-based company Pairwise Plants Services, the top applicant for CRISPR crops listed in the WIPO system, is one of these recipients. Last year, Corteva made a $25 million equity investment in Pairwise through its new Corteva Catalyst program.

Corteva is a spin-off from the merger of American chemical companies DuPont and Dow, major producers of agrochemicals and genetically modified organisms.

The company is funding at least four of the thirteen crops being developed for African markets, including disease-resistant varieties of cassava, maize, millet and sorghum.

“Something that complicates these projects is that because they're being done in public private partnerships, a lot of the licensing is really complex,” Rock said. “So while for instance, this work might be being done in public institutions or while it might be being done on crops that are not commercial crops, it still has complexities around who owns what and what that might look like should these crops be commercialized.”

Some farmers with the Kenya Peasants League, a grassroots coalition, have reported becoming dependent on multinational companies for patented seeds that they previously saved and planted for free: a situation that isn’t likely to change with the adoption of gene-edited crops sold by the same companies, said Susan Owiti, one of the organization’s leaders who focuses on the rights of women farmers.

“They set up their shops in the community where farmers are… They will bring the seeds to my doorstep,” she said. “And then [farmers] will take it because it is the planting season. Some of these farmers have not even paid their previous loans. So meaning that now the farmers will continue to be in the cycle of debt and poverty.”