A new report studying how South Africans feel about the science of plant breeding has shed light on a fascinating reality: while many consumers are eager for better-quality, affordable food, there’s limited understanding of how new crop varieties are developed.
The research, led by Mohammed Naweed Mohamed and colleagues at Biosafety South Africa and the South African National Seed Organisation, uncovers the beliefs, hopes, and concerns shaping public acceptance of agricultural innovation across three provinces: Western Cape, Gauteng, and KwaZulu-Natal.
New crops, old concerns
South Africa’s bioeconomy relies heavily on plant breeding to deliver more nutritious, robust, and sustainable crops. Techniques range from traditional cross-breeding to advanced scientific methods like gene editing, sometimes called new breeding techniques (NBTs).
According to the report, understanding of these methods is low: “67–68% of respondents [were] unfamiliar with both conventional and modern plant breeding procedures.” Despite this, people still care about how food is made, with half saying that knowing about plant breeding would affect their choices.
Conditional support for modern science
One key revelation is that attitudes improve as people learn more about the benefits of new breeding methods. When survey participants were told how plant science can boost food quality, make crops more resilient, or even help the environment, support for modern breeding jumped from 45% to 74%.
As the authors note, “support cannot be interpreted as ‘unqualified support for modern plant breeding or biotechnology methods’; it must always be interpreted in the context of the intended outcomes, benefits, and beneficiaries.”
Open-ended responses reveal the divide: some participants praised the promise of abundance – “There will always be food for people” and “Plants will grow faster” – while others expressed safety worries or wanted to keep things natural, saying “I like natural food” and “This will cause cancer.”
What matters most when shopping?
For South African consumers, price and quality outshine everything else in the supermarket aisle. Affordability, value for money, and clear packaging rank as top priorities, with “sustainability” coming last.
When it comes to plant-based staples like bread, vegetables, and fruit, Shoprite and Checkers were the most popular retailers, reflecting both price sensitivity and accessibility for lower-income groups.
Curiously, even though many shoppers say they appreciate “natural” foods, few can accurately describe how fruit, vegetables, or grains are grown. Only 13% consistently thought about where their food came from. When asked about seed sources, answers included “recycled plants,” “chemically created processes,” or simply, “do not know” – evidence of a large information gap.
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Familiarity breeds comfort
The study found that the more familiar a person was with a plant breeding term, the more positively they felt about it: “A strong positive correlation (R2 = 0.938) was observed between familiarity and positivity.”
Basic terms like “farming” inspired trust, while technical ones like “GMO” or “genome” did not. Interestingly, even “plant breeding” – the oldest technique – was called “natural” by less than half the respondents, highlighting how confusing the natural/unnatural debate can be.
When it comes to food safety, South Africans trust healthcare professionals and scientists above all, but most get their information from family, friends, and the internet. Widespread scepticism towards government sources was apparent; only 5% “highly trusted” official channels, while 61% “did not trust” them.
Doctors, industry experts, and teachers garnered the most trust overall. However, industry experts also attracted more distrust than other experts, highlighting a complicated relationship with the food industry.
Looking ahead
This detailed snapshot shows that while South Africans generally support innovation aimed at tastier, healthier, and more affordable food, this support rests on clear communication of the benefits and the assurance of safety. The strongest driver of acceptance is not the technique itself, but visible outcomes like improved nutrition or crop resilience.
The research team notes the need for focused education and communication strategies, stating “increased familiarity with scientific concepts has the potential to mitigate negative perceptions and promote greater acceptance of emerging technologies.”
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