Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa - Matthew A. Schnurr

Schnurr & Gore. (2015). Getting to ‘yes’: The evolution of biotechnology regulation in Uganda. Journal of International Development, 27, 55-72.

Written with my colleague Chris Gore from Ryerson University, this article critically examines the evolution of the regulatory regime to manage the potential social, environmental and health risks associated with the introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in Uganda. The paper investigates the inter-relationships that connect the various elements of GMO regulation, arguing that current …

Jones, Schnurr, Carr, & Moseley. (2015). Should I stay or should I go? Incorporating a commitment to fieldwork throughout an academic career. African Geographical Review, 34(1), 55-68.

This collaborative essay reflects on the ambiguities associated with maintaining and adopting a commitment to applied research and fieldwork amid changing professional, personal and contextual situations. Full-text

Schnurr & Mujabi Mujuzi. (2014). No one asks for a meal they’ve never eaten’; Or, do African farmers want Genetically Modified crops? Agriculture and Human Values, 31(4), 643-648.

This article reflects on the relative silence of African farmers within debates around the potential for GM crops to transform agriculture on the continent. It proposes two strategies for amplifying these voices – one focused on research methodologies, the other on outreach – in order to transform the conversation around GM’s potential in Africa into …

Dowd-Uribe, Glover, & Schnurr. (2014). Seeds and places: The geographies of transgenic crops in the global south. Geoforum, 53, 145-148

This editorial forms the introduction to a collection of papers that links geographical perspectives on science, knowledge, and practice, to debates around hunger and transgenic crops. We argue that the dynamics of agricultural production and patterns of food consumption are inescapably local and solutions to the problem of world hunger must be tailored to specific …

Schnurr. (2013). Bio-hegemony and biotechnology in Uganda: Unraveling the strategies used to promote Genetically Modified crops into new African market. Journal of Peasant Studies, 40(4), 639-658.

My aim in this article is to uncover the network of corporate actors, development agencies, policy officials, and research scientists that support the unquestioned dominance of GM in Uganda. I rely on Gramscian insights reveal how these constellations of power align to support biotechnology at the expense of other technological possibilities, and how this consensus …