Environmental lunacy has noticeably hampered our economy by driving up gas prices. But in Africa, the effects of pious political correctness have been even more pernicious.

Western do-gooders are impoverishing Africa by promoting traditional farming at the expense of modern scientific agriculture, according to Britain's former chief scientist.

Professor Sir David King laments:

I'm going to suggest, and I believe this very strongly, that a big part has been played in the impoverishment of that continent by the focus on nontechnological agricultural techniques, on techniques of farming that pertain to the history of that continent rather than techniques that pertain to modern technological capability. Why has that continent not joined Asia in the big green revolutions that have taken place over the past few decades? The suffering within that continent, I believe, is largely driven by attitudes developed in the West which are somewhat anti-science, anti-technology — attitudes that lead towards organic farming, for example, attitudes that lead against the use of genetic technology for crops that could deal with increased salinity in the water, that can deal with flooding for rice crops, that can deal with drought resistance.[…]

The problem is that the Western-world move toward organic farming — a lifestyle choice for a community with surplus food — and against agricultural technology in general and GM in particular, has been adopted across Africa, with the exception of South Africa, with devastating consequences.

Genetically modified crops could feed starving people, but are suppressed for flaky political reasons. Similarly, moonbat do-gooders have managed to suppress the use of DDT in Africa, saving many put-upon mosquitoes but condemning millions of children to death. At least they mean well, supposedly.

But liberals are perfectly willing to help Africans if it means confiscating your money and giving it to socialist dictators to blow on weapons and palaces.

On a tip from Oiao. Cross-posted at Moonbattery.