In 2016, Sylvia Kuria ventured into organic farming in Ndeiya in Limuru, Kiambu county, but critics told her she won’t succeed.
The five-acre piece of land is not only rocky but the area does not have enough rains.
“Our farming system needs to change in response to the impact of climate change. The food we eat should also be safe,” she says as she tends to her spinach.
Kuria says most people eat foods that are from an untraceable source and have potentially been subjected to unknown pesticides, rough packing, and unhygienic handling.
She says that the whole of this year, the area has received rains only 12 times.
This means that the available drops have to be utilised.
“I have erected a water pan with a capacity of 100,000 cubic litres that can sustain my crops for years,” she says.
Kuria says she also collects rainwater from her roofs.
But what prompted her to go the organic way?
“I encountered pests and diseases on my farm just like any other farmer would," she says.
"I went to the shop to look for chemicals to deal with them but the chemicals were so strong that I was not comfortable giving the food to my children.”
Kuria says she immediately went and did research on how organic food can be produced.
She learnt a lot about the use of manure, different practices such as composting to get rich soils, crop rotation, and companion planting, among other good practices.
Armed with this knowledge, Kuria was now able to roll out her farms.
“We only use certified, safe, biological pesticides when absolutely necessary thus ensuring the food we provide is healthy and wholesome. There is a ready market out there for organic foods,” she says.
Kuria says organic agriculture is not just about growing safe food but also having healthy soils that will ensure a farmer has enough food today and for many generations to come.
She plants legumes, including cowpeas, pigeon peas and green grams. They fix nitrogen into the soil, hence improving its quality.
Indigenous trees also blossom on her farm.
Kuria has grown more than 500 tree varieties on her five-acre farm. She carefully chooses trees that will support her venture.
Some trees fix nitrogen into the soil, others provide shade when it is hot, and yet others provide fodder for animals when it is dry.
For instance, she has coriander which is good for goats. She also grows fruit trees.
Kuria says that her organic farming is looking up and her vision is to make organic food accessible to as many people as possible.
To make this possible, Kuria has a number of shops dealing with her products.
Kuria reveals that the response from her customers has been positive.
"I’ve got so many reports where they say, 'your kale, your spinach, your carrots are so sweet'. I tell them it’s because they are just growing in the natural way that they were supposed to have grown."
"We are not altering anything about the plant. It is just growing the way it is supposed to be and that is why it is that tasty," she says.
Scientists have established that agroecology is the best way to ensure food security, maintain healthy ecosystems and support livelihoods in the context of climate change and declining biodiversity.
Agroecology is an approach to farming and food systems that reduces the use of dangerous chemicals in food production, protects smallholder farmers and consumers, and builds equitable, sustainable food systems.
Scientists believe that using agroecology is a holistic approach to farming and food systems.
In Kenya, projects such as those implemented by the Drylands Natural Resource Centre in Mbumbuni, Makueni county show that this approach can work to increase farm productivity, enhance livelihoods for smallholder farmers and build strong local food systems.
There are at least 250,000 consumers of organic food mainly in Nairobi and the number is increasing.
Kuria’s farm is thronged by farmers eager to learn about organic farming.
The farm also has beehives and an assortment of flowers that bees use to make honey.
Sylvia’s basket farm manager Simon Kahi says they start training farmers from 9am.
“We teach them better methods to farm with limited resources. This will enable them to be self-reliant, especially doing indigenous crops that are nutritious and safe from dangerous chemicals,” he says.
Kahi says the move will help end hunger and eradicate poverty.
Farmers are also taught how to harvest rainwater and utilise each drop.
“We also teach them on the traditional ways of dealing with pests and weeds using traps to ensure that the use of chemicals is done away with.”
On November 19, for instance, a group of farmers were taken through modern ways of farming.
Loyce Wanjiru was among the farmers.
“I have gained knowledge on how to utilise the little water we get. I will go and use the knowledge I gained to do my small kitchen garden,” she says.
The farmers were accompanied by Biovision Africa Trust farmer field officer from Ndeiya, Elsa Oluoch.
Biovision Africa Trust has partnered with Sylvia’s basket to hone farmers’ skills in organic farming.
The farmers were from Rwambusi, Tiekunu and Micobo in Ndeiya ward, Limuru subcounty.
Scores of farmers were also from Nduma and Siguni ward in Kikuyu subcounty.
“We have plans to train 50 farmers on organic farming,” Oluoch says.
Organic farming is gaining momentum even as scientists pile pressure on authorities to immediately withdraw some of the harmful pesticides from the Kenyan market.
On Wednesday last week, researchers identified at least 17 pesticides that "must be withdrawn immediately".
"We are concerned by an upward trend on the use of some pesticides and it is negatively impacting on the health of humans, animals, as well as the environment," Raphael Wahome from the University of Nairobi said.
Wahome, who is a professor of livestock production, said some of the active ingredients in such pesticides are toxic and must be withdrawn.
"The less toxic ones with no alternatives have to be withdrawn in a phased-out manner as alternatives are sought," he said.
On July 6, the Pest Control Products Board urged the public to give comments on pesticides' active ingredients.
The concerned parties have consolidated evidence into a dossier titled, 'Scientific Report on Pesticides in the Kenyan Market'.
The dossier has been prepared by an expert task force on behalf of the petitioners in Public Petition (Number 70 of 2019) regarding the withdrawal of harmful chemical pesticides in the Kenyan market.
The task force includes the Biodiversity and Bio-safety Association of Kenya, Kenya Organic Agriculture Network, Resources Oriented Development Initiatives and Route to Food Initiative.
A study by the Route to Food Initiative in 2019 established that out of the 230 active ingredients registered in Kenya by the control board, only 134 are approved in Europe.
Nineteen are not listed in the European database and 77 have been withdrawn from the European market or are heavily restricted in their use.
This is due to potential chronic health effects, environmental persistence and high toxicity towards fish or bees.
Of the pesticides registered, five per cent of the active ingredients have been proven to be carcinogenic (cause cancer) and four per cent are mutagenic (affect genetic makeup).
About six per cent are endocrine disruptors (affect the hormonal system), 20 per cent are neurotoxic (affect the nervous system) and 41 per cent have effects on male reproductive systems, including causing infertility.
Scientists want active ingredients such as permethrin, bifenthrin, malathion, dichlorvos, carbaryl, carbendazim, chlorothalonil, chlorpyrifos and mancozeb to be immediately withdrawn from Kenya.
Other active ingredients that the scientists want to be withdrawn immediately include omethoate, imidacloprid and tebuconazole.
Others are acephate, pymetrozine, 2,4 D-amine, dimethoate and glufosinate-ammonium. They also want carbofuran banned.
The scientists also want active ingredients in thiacloprid, gamma-cyhalothrin, deltamethrin, oxyfluorfen, abamectin, fenitrothion, thiophanate-methyl removed in a phased-out manner.
The proposed withdrawal in Kenya should be based on consumer risk, reproductive toxicity and neurotoxicity.
(edited by Amol Awuor)
