Residents of Juja subcounty, Kiambu county, have been urged to grow organic foods to keep lifestyle diseases at bay.
The residents have been told to practice organic farming to also protect their soil from being rendered unproductive by chemical fertilisers.
Medics and leaders who spoke at a free medical camp at Toll area in Murera ward said the increasing cases of lifestyle diseases in the region, including diabetes, hypertension, obesity and high blood pressure, among others, are as a result of poor eating habits.
The medical camp that saw more than 1,000 Murera residents receive treatment was organised by Jesse Kay Hospital in partnership with area MCA Moses Ngatha Wambiri and OFC Church.
Dr Peter Muiruri of Jesse Kay Hospital said that most farmers have been growing genetically modified crops due to the change of rainfall pattern because most parts of the country have been receiving minimal rains.
However, he warned that the GMOs are some of the causes of increasing lifestyle diseases.
He said that organic farming is slowly losing its grip in the region as most farmers have turned farming into agribusiness ventures while in total disregard of their health.
“Most people have become business-oriented and no longer care about the quality but the quantity of their produce. This is the reason lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and hypertension are on the rise. Farmers must rethink their decision to grow GMOs. We must go back to the indigenous foods our forefathers used to grow and eat,” he said.
“Today we have attended to many patients with the lifestyle diseases and the only way we can combat is this is by being strict on the diet and eating habits.”
Dr Muiruri's sentiments were echoed by Wambiri who said that organic farming is cheap and helps integrate all types of farming ensuring maximum utilisation of the available land.
“Organic farming is economical and manageable. I am appealing to all farmers across the country to uphold this method of farming 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.”
He said that organic agriculture enables farmers to boost yields using locally available environment resources or additional low-cost biological inputs and offers a sustainable farming approach to most small-scale farmers.
“We [are] initiating a programme whereby we will engage experts to train our farmers on better farming practices. Besides this, we will be holding free medical camps quarterly so that we can help majority of residents who are struggling to access medical services,” Wambiri said.
