Organic food reduces lifestyle disease — expert

Kiambu residents have been advised to grow organic food to prevent lifestyle diseases and increase their lifespan.

Gladys Chania, a Thika-based psychologist, said increasing lifestyle diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and obesity result in large part from bad eating habits. 

Speaking on Monday in Gachuiri village, Gatundu South, Chania said organic farming is slowly disappearing as most farmers have turned farming into agribusiness" in total disregard of their health".

She joined the Lions Club of Thika Precious in donating food and bedding to the elderly.

“Most people have become business-oriented and no longer care about the quality but the quantity of their produce. Farmers must rethink their decision to grow GMOs. We must go back to the indigenous foods our forefathers used to grow and eat,” she said.

Kenya Institute of Organic Farming principal John Wanjau said organic farming is cheap and helps maximise land use.

“Organic farming is economical and manageable. I’m appealing to all farmers across the country to uphold this method with an assurance of high yields,” he said.

“Farmers should rely on natural processes, compost manure and biological pest control methods to boost soil fertility or manage pests and diseases.”

Wanjau said organic agriculture enables farmers to boost yields using locally available resources or low-cost biological inputs.

The principal attributed the increasing cases of cancer and other diseases to the neglect of organic farming saying that the human lifespan is drastically declining.

“Early in the 80s and 90s, we never heard of as many cancer cases as now. It is time we thought about what we consume or be prepared to meet the cost of treating these diseases,” Wanjau said.

Chania urged the national government to provide mandatory health cover, including the National Health Insurance Fund for all senior citizens at a subsidised cost.

“The elderly form the largest percentage of patients across the country due to illnesses associated with old age. Therefore, the government must ensure that they get medical cover at a low cost. We must protect our elders,” she said.

Edited by R.Wamochie